A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words
by Grim Revolution
Summary: A collection of unrelated thoughts not long enough to be one story.
1. Friends

_Friends_

It had been a constant companion to him for so long, when it was gone, he missed it. Actually _missed_ it. For years it had always been there, comforting him, hurting him, making him shy and proud and brave. Every time it came around his mind struck inspiration (Which was quite a lot, mind you) but now…

Now it didn't come around as often. For the fourteen years of his life that he actually noticed it, he despised it. Hated it as much as a dragon abhorred eels. Now, there was always someone else to take its place. At first it was Toothless, but that wasn't so bad, because it brought the two of them together. Then came the entire village, Astrid, before it welcomed him with open arms again when he sat in the dark, his father's furious words echoing around his head.

Everyone wanted to talk to him, and he had to escape into the forest just to get away from the overwhelming Vikings, to run back to it. His comfort zone, the only friend he had known since his mother died. Gobber was okay, but even he was no comparison to how many times it had been there to whisper soothing words when he shivered in the dark, feeling the bruises and pain of verbal and physical wounds.

This time, today, he couldn't even call it by its name. It had such a simple name, an easy one, so boring and unoriginal that it never let out the true pain it could cause, the true love. But he always wondered if it was love… or something else. It was a parasite, but one that was addicting.

Hiccup sighed, looking out over the sunset, his body pressed against Toothless' warm body. His eyes were half open, staring at nothing and everything. Times like this is where it sat beside him, but it was less of a longing now, and more like a mother. The teen shook his head at that thought. No, not a mother; mothers are filled with warmth and soft words… it was cold and harsh, but not unkindly. Only in a way that it wanted him to realize something, to point himself a different way and stare down at an object with a completely different view.

"Hiccup?"

And with that, it was gone, but the boy turned to greet Astrid anyway, not trying to grab it back. If he did, someone's feelings would get hurt, and he didn't want to be punched in the shoulder. Again. Slowly, he got up to his feet, well, _foot_, the left one had been gone for years now.

"Hey," Hiccup answered back, putting on a small smile, just for her. "What are you doing here?"

For a moment, Astrid looked him over before smiling back. "I could ask you the same question."

He shrugged lazily. "Just getting reconnected with an old friend."

Pausing, she stared at him confused. Her eyes flickered to the snoozing Toothless, but he wasn't the answer. Instead, Astrid glanced back into Hiccup's eyes, and her breath caught. Immediately, the young man knew she had figured it out, especially when her face grew saddened. "Oh, Hiccup… I-I'm sorry."

Slowly, eyebrows drawing together, he tilted his head to the side. "Sorry? For what?"

"All those years—"

"But you've already apologized for that!" Hiccup protested, cutting her off gently and cradlingher into a hug.

She laughed softly, wrapping her own arms around him, pulling his scrawny body closer. "I'm not apologizing for _that_, idiot." Astrid pulled back, her eyes searching his. "I'm sorry for all those years that we made loneliness feel like a friend."

For a moment, Hiccup didn't know what to say, but instead settled on a sigh and burying his face in her sun died locks. "I forgive you but…" he fidgeted slightly before pulling out the same courage that made him approach Toothless so long ago with the cod. "But could you, um, give me some time to get use to all…_this_?"

And she did.

* * *

Every time I read some drabbles (and there are some really good ones out there; I love _The Odd Ones_) I can't help but notice that the prompts can be, well, similar. "Friendship" seems to focus on actual beings. So, here are drabbles with my twists, and I hope that you guys enjoy them as much as I like writing them.

About this one... well, Hiccup didn't have any friends until he met Toothless and I'm pretty sure he didn't just _jump_ in like he could have. Like all things, it would probably take a while to get use to. I hope I captured that here, because we all know that Hiccup wouldn't really say anything about it unless someone caught him.


	2. Fear

_Fear_

The Villagers of Berk knew true horror, they knew fear (even if it was only a little), and love (though they expressed themselves in strange ways) and friendship. But the one thing that made them run faster than if a furious Night Fury was chasing them, if the Green Death had risen from the grave and cast a shadow over their town, was Hiccup.

Hiccup plus one word that always seemed to be heard no matter where he was, where the sun was, or even if a hurricane along with a thunder storm, sixty dragons, and the wind were all howling in fury at the same time.

"_Oops_."

Instantly, the powerful, battle wary, proud, _stubborn_ Vikings flung themselves away from that single, most terrifying word, ducking for cover under shields, dragons, and behind the occasional rock. Stoick grappled for cover as Gobber moved faster than anyone had ever seen him go, wrenching an iron circle off his shelves and placing it between himself and the boy.

They didn't have to wait long until a loud groan shook the ground and wood split in two with a splintering crack. A Nadder screeched in anger before taking off, a flaming ball of… _something_ hitting the ground where it had once been and bounced its way down the hill and landing with a hiss and splat into the ocean.

"No, Toothless! It wasn't ready yet!" Hiccup cried, his voice echoing in the startling silent village as he scolded his dragon.

Once everyone was sure the danger had passed, they wearily moved out from behind their cover. Some eyes stared at the smothering oval in the middle of the town, the outlining fire quickly dying before everyone turned to Hiccup. He looked disinterested in their eyes, instead playing around with his newest invention again. An adjustment here, a prod there, and he stepped back, looking pleased. "All right, buddy. Let's try it again."

The dragon lit a now noticeable ball of messed up material with his flame, moving it into the bucket-like container on the back. Hiccup looked around before grabbing a simple, round rock beside him, pushing it down on a locked spring. Both boy and dragon stepped back before the teen reached out to press the lever on the side.

Instantly, everyone dove back into cover, hearing a swish, clunk, and the sound of something whistling in the air. It was followed by a punk when the spring was released, launching the rock upwards. Every eye followed the ball of flame as it went higher and higher before the stone hit it.

Immediately, the world exploded in sparks of red and orange, a loud boom following it, but no one really cared anymore as the lights flew over their heads before vanishing, the ashes blown away with the wind.

Then, it happened.

"Cool! Do it again!"

The Vikings groaned.

* * *

Okay, this was probably the funnest thing I've written for awhile. It was a request from a friend (who isn't on here but reads everything anyways). She basically told me: "Grim, do something about fireworks." Because the movie had an Aladdin scene, and she was waiting for the other thirty-five minutes for the light show. I decided to gift her with this, and pist it up as well.

Requests are welcome, but be aware I may twist them a bit.

Just a tiny bit...


	3. Green and Blue

Green and Blue

Astrid would never admit it, but her favorite color was green. It hadn't always been that way; actually, she used to be quite fond of yellow. All of it started with an accident, one day, and she found herself enthralled with the color of life. Well, now that she looked back, it didn't seem like an accident. No, surely Hiccup didn't mean for his crazy dragon to take her on a joy ride, showing her what fear _really_ was.

It was after that, when he looked at her with such determination in his gaze, a firm stance, that she truly appreciated the color. For the first time, Astrid could honestly tell some one what the color of Hiccup's eyes were when they weren't dark in depression or lit by anger. She knew they were like an oak leaf when he was just… being Hiccup, an emerald when determined, seaweed when excited, luminescent when in awe, pepper when terrified… The color was always filled and changed to match his emotions at every instant.

She learned so many things about the boy behind that hypnotizing gaze in a week than she had never thought of before. But Astrid wasn't the only one. Even Stoick didn't know that his son hated eel, or that he used to burn himself almost every other day at the forge and never went to the healer after she told him he was weak and refused to hand over the ointment. Imagine her surprise when Fishlegs burnt himself during the annual fishing trip and Hiccup went around gathering herbs to grind into paste and had the geeky boy comfortable in no time.

His answer to their wondering look had been that "A blacksmith always gets burns" and that he and Gobber were always "prepared for any type of accident" (because heaven knows they happened around Hiccup), but they hadn't really thought about it until a strangely hot day had left Hiccup free of his shirt and swimming in the pond inside the valley he and Toothless had become friends in. It was Ruffnut that had found him, coming out to get him for a meeting and seeing, for the first time, the many scars that covered his arms and chest.

Hiccup never spoke about it, but Astrid was always sure that a bowl of green paste was there waiting for him after each day of hard work.

* * *

Hiccup would very happily tell any one who bothered to ask that his favorite color was blue. Since he could crawl and look up at the sky he had been in love with the fascinating color. It made green and purple while the darker shades were very close to black. It was the color of the sky that he enjoyed the most. Oh, how he wished he could fly, run his fingers through the clouds, and be close enough to the sun that he could touch it.

When he had met Toothless, with his scales glinting, the shine a navy color, his love for blue was reintroduced. Especially when the dragon brought his life long dream of flying to life. Their friendship was easy going; full of laughter and new experiences. Both learned from each other and acted as self appointed teachers. Most was a win or lose situation, but neither got angry at the other for not knowing something.

Then, then came Astrid. Her eye color had never really settled into his mind until the flight when _Toothless_ (Baldr help him if she realized that he _was_ the one who told the Night Fury to pick her flawlessly up into the air after her jump off that log) kidnapped her and her eyes glistened in awe at the towering chasms of clouds.

All those years he had known her, Hiccup had found himself describing those eyes like the cold shadows on the snow. But now… now they were soothing rain, a crashing wave, a rushing river. They wore him down until his insides were hers for the taking, weathering his emotions down piece by piece until he couldn't stand it anymore. They made his stomach clench and palms sweat. His tongue stumbled over words whenever they caught his gaze, just as they had when he was younger. But now the teen was unafraid of seeing them glare at him in scorn because they no longer did.

Astrid had ignored him back then, but her huffs of impatience and sudden hard shoves had always taken him by surprise. Now when those blue irises stared at him, Hiccup found his breath stolen mercilessly from his lungs… and he didn't care if she gave it back or not.

She was his blue, and he was her green. Water and leaves, and neither could live with out the other.

Even if they didn't realize it.

* * *

I've always loved colors and the emotions they bring out in people. Soothing or exciting… They've always been one of my my favorite subjects and I learned a lot about them this year in Interior Designing than I ever thought was possible. Both Green and Blue fit these two so much (I would advise looking them up, some of the stuff really is incredible).

As always; smack me if I'm doing something wrong, or tell me, and I'll fix it.

Happy reading,

Grim


	4. Paradise

Paradise

Gobber looked up when the smell of sulfur split the air, his lips twisting into a frown.

"Yes!" A cheerful voice cried, the Blacksmith could have sworn it was his apprentice who had a day off to just go out and fly, but didn't know for certain. There was a splat followed by a harsh oomph. "Crap!" Yep, defiantly Hiccup.

"You are _so_ dead, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock!" And Ruffnut.

"All three names!" Fishlegs cried in horror, his voice already vanishing away, as if he was running in the opposite direction.

Someone was laughing, mockingly. "You forgot 'the third'!" Tuffnut yelped when something hard and wooden hit his head (it was very hard not to mistake that noise every time the twins got together).

"Don't kill him! I need him alive!"

There was a loud roar of laughter following that. "Does wittle Astwid want babies?" Someone landed roughly with another sickening splatter. "Ouch! Watch where you're throwing that thing, woman!" Gobber sighed, hearing Snotlout cry out again in pain before setting down his hammer and stepping out of his stall.

The ground of Berk was muddy from the recent rainfall, and his eyes landed on the six teenagers violently wrestling on the softened earth. Well, five. No one dared come near Hiccup, Toothless towering over his shoulder. The boy had a self-satisfied smirk on his face, with Ruffnut opposing him, covered from head to toe in brown slime and shaking with none-to-suppressed rage. Her helmet was gone, half submerged by the very familiar imprint in the soil.

Astrid was steadily pelting Snotlout with mudballs, hitting him over and over again in the face as Fishlegs raced around them, followed by a triumphant Tuffnut who held a bucket (which Gobber guessed was the thing that had hit him in the noggin) above his head full of something that seemed to be moving. A small head stuck out, just barely noticeable, but if Gobber tilted his head directly thirty degrees to the right and squinted, he could make out the Terrible Terror underneath all the mess.

"What is going on here?!" The cry stopped all movement except for a large ball of mud that arched through the air. Every eye in the square followed it before it splattered over Stoick's face. Gobber winced, a steady "oooh" sounding from his throat. For a moment, the chief blinked a few times in utter shock, lips moving soundlessly, before his gaze turned to the one person who would ever dare throw something so insignificant at the most powerful Viking in Berk.

Hiccup had already mounted Toothless and was urging the Night Fury into the sky even as a much larger mound of wet dirt flew past his head. "Come on buddy! Go! Go! Go!" They lifted up into the air, sending the furious Ruffnut spiraling back into a puddle, splashing everyone who was near with the dirty water.

"Just you wait, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III ("All three names!" Fishlegs whispered again in horror, cowering away)!" She snarled up at him, eyes narrowed dangerously. "I'll get you back, just you wait!" The girl forced herself to her feet, slipping and sliding all the way.

Astrid silenced her with a mudball to the mouth, making her loose her balance and fall back into the mud before scrambling back up, wiping it all from her teeth. The blonde laughed with glee and victory as the furious twin chased her around the square and between amused dragons. Stoick was running after his son who wasn't making all that much of an effort to get away. Gobber shook his head in both exasperation and amusement, going back into the stall.

It was just another day in paradise.

* * *

Oh my gosh that was so much fun! I have to admit, being in a mud fight is perhaps the one thing nobody can ever miss out on. You get as dirty as heck, but no one cares, because it's just like a snowball fight, with out the cold (unless the rain was cold, but it's still quite fun).

I hope you all enjoy this one! And more "giggle-fests" for each of you!

Happy reading!

Grim


	5. Tremors

Guys, I want to warn you, this one is rated T due to sexual humor. Yes, and mentions on how to make babies.

* * *

_Tremors_

Stoick's left eyebrow twitched. At that moment, he both loved and hated his son. Oh, they had gotten over their differences for sure, and after almost loosing him to that ball of fire, well… The chief was more than willing to try to get his inventive and witty son better. But it was times like this… when they had _guests_ (though, he wondered briefly if Gobber could be counted as a guest in the first place) over! It took everything that he had from his cheeks burning red with embarrassment.

In fact, Hiccup wasn't even in the same room as him, and the boy somehow managed to make his father look like a fool. Stoick took in a deep breath, tuning Gobber's half-drunk gibberish out, his eyes moving to the gift Astrid's family had given them for the wedding.

A simple, bone chandelier. It was rarely lit, but beautiful all the same.

Right now, he hated it. Sometimes during the night he would sit there and watch it with narrowed eyes. Gobber had caught him at it once, had been there when it shuddered for three minutes straight before shrugging and turning to the Ale cabinet.

"That boy's going to be the death of me…" Stoick murmured, breaking off his friend's tirade.

The Blacksmith followed his gaze. "Staring' at that thing again, are ya? If it bothers ya so much why don'tcha just take it down?"

Snorting, Stoick frowned. "It would be an insult to their family."

"Not when you explain why!" Gobber cackled, just about falling out of his chair. "And better yet, you could do it with them there, then you won't have to worry about it much afterwards."

"I already told 'im about it." The larger man grounded out. "But they keep on going!"

"Posh," Gobber waved his hand lazily. "As if you and Vahallamara weren't the same way! Like a pair of rabbits you two were."

Stoick turned scarlet. "We didn't do it when we knew the whole family could tell what was goin' on!"

"Right, you just screamed it out to us." Gobber shook his head. "Bellowing mules you lot. I'm just glad those two aren't noisy about it." He took another large gulp of his drink. "besides, you could always come up to the Hall with me, that would solve all your problems."

The chief turned. "I will not let those two kick me out of my own house!"

For a few minutes of silence, both men sat there and watched the chandelier rock. Back and forth, back and forth.

"That boy of yours sure got some stamina."

There was a loud thunk as Stoick hit himself in the head.

* * *

Astrid sighed, looking over Toothless to the much too happy husband of hers. "Get off the bed, Hiccup."

The young man didn't stop, but turned to face her, jumping cheerfully up and down on the wobbly furniture. "Why?" he asked innocently, green eyes lit in laughter, a bright smile on his lips.

"I don't want us to get kicked out of this house." Toothless grumbled his own agreement, green eyes moving up and down as he watched his rider.

"We won't get kicked out of the house."

She sighed, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "What part of your father's speech last week didn't sink into that rock hard head of yours?"

"Hmmm… are you talking about his 'I want lots of babies' one or the 'stop have sex when we have company over'?" Hiccup grinned at her, wincing when he landed a bit oddly on his left leg but continued anyways. "And, really, he asked for it."

Brushing her hair back, Astrid looked over his flushed cheeks and mischievous eyes. Her mind went back to the embarrassing talk the Chief had given them over the fundamentals of sex when people were over, especially when they could tell by the chandelier her parents had giving the Haddocks. She grinned and, leaping over Toothless, strolled over to her smiling husband and climbing up onto the bed. "Well, that's true."

And laughing, they jumped their way into the night with an amused Night Fury watching them and two full grown Viking men eyeing the chandelier that was now shaking harder than they had ever seen it.

Gobber whistled in appreciation. "That kid's gonna go far. I hope you're ready for all those babies you asked for."

Stoick groaned and reached for the bottle. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

IDEAS! Give me _ideas_… or review, 'cause that works too.

Happy reading!

Grim


	6. Storytime

You guys make me feel love! I came back upstairs to hear "You got mail!" and that makes me feel so wonderful inside. I'll get Messages out to all of you as soon as I read them all, so just be a _wee_ bit patient.

* * *

_Storytime_

This is Berk. It's twelve days north of Hopeless and a few degrees south of Freezing-to-Death. It's located solidly on the meridian of Misery. My village. In a word; sturdy. Yeah, it's been here for seven generations but every single building is new. We have fishing, hunting, and a charming view of the sunsets.

The only problem are the sheep.

Yes, that's right, the _sheep_.

You see, at first, we thought all would be well, you know? The dragons stop hunting the sheep because, well, they don't have the Green Death to feed and we give them all the fish they could ever ask for. It's a wonderful friendship between us and the dragons. Except for the sheep. Because somehow, the sheep got it all into their heads that now that they don't have to fear the fire-breathing reptiles of doom, they can just go ahead and be pests to the dragons.

By pests, I mean literally flaunting the fact that the predators couldn't eat them.

I guess I should back up a bit. It all started with Fluffy. Yes, Fluffy the sheep. He belonged to a nice, well known family, and decided that, well, he would go off and pester Snotlout's Monstrous Nightmare. At first, the dragon was all right with it. A sheep was eating in the only green patch of grass left, what was wrong with that? But then… oh, Fluffy began to tease the dragon. He would come up close, sitting in the direct path of the wind so that his scent would brush up against the nightmare's nostrils… next thing we know…

"HE ATE FLUFFY!"

Well, I would be surprised if he _didn't_ eat Fluffy. Even Toothless wouldn't be able to hold on for a few days if yummy dinner was just _waiting_ to be gobbled up. My dad didn't see anything wrong with it either.

"Keep your sheep contained. It wandered too close to the dragon." He had said. So people began to keep their sheep away and, lo and behold, no more eaten sheep. Amazing! Everyone was lulled into a false sense of security. The fences were brought down, and the sheep were left to wander.

Now, you all know what happened next. Two more sheep went missing. Both of them had wandered into dragon territory. A few Nadders had lamb chops and cotton for dinner. As anyone could guess, the owners of the sheep were getting pretty mad. Even if one that was eaten had been chewed up by the owners dragon.

So the sheep went back in the pen, planning deviously until—

"Hiccup?"

Yes Astrid?

"You're scaring the children."

Right. Sorry.

* * *

Watch out for those sheep, kiddos. They're dangerous.

This was just pulled out of… no where. I do not know where this came from. Honestly. I put my fingers to the keyboard, and this spat out.

Don't forget to review and give me your ideas! I'll get to them as soon as I can (which could be very soon, actually...)


	7. Exercise

This is from _Koneko101_ who wanted something with Hiccup taking care of a sick Astrid. This is what popped up into my head, like, immediately after I read your review. I hope every single one of you enjoys!

* * *

_Exercise_

When Hiccup first ran through the village at six in the morning, hardly anyone noticed except for Toothless. The dragon perked his head up curiously as his rider limped down the path from the house, almost tripping over his own two feet on his haste to get to the bottom of the hill. Warbling in worry, the Night Fury lumbered after him, easily catching up to the frantic male. His face was pale, making the fine dots of multiple red freckles stand out like a Nightmare hiding among sheep.

Snorting, the dragon followed him to the healers (where he stayed outside, due to the strange smell of herbs and mixtures clouding his senses) before leading Hiccup back up to his home. When the door shut softly, Toothless curled up outside once more and began to drift off.

Until his rider came bounding back out again, cursing vividly under his breath. Toothless followed him once more to the healers and helped him back up the path, rumbling in worry. When the door shut again, the dragon stayed alert, listening attentively. His efforts paid off when the redhead came back out, muttering something about lemons and lotion. They repeated the cycle again, but this time, Hiccup left the door open.

Curious, Toothless moved inside, watching his friend clamber up into the rooms upstairs. The dragon grunted and sat, his long, black tail curling around his body like a cat. It wasn't that long until Hiccup was limping down the stairs again. This time, Toothless followed him to the Village Square before waiting and lending the man a hand back to his home.

By the sixth time Hiccup had come running out of the house, Toothless grumbled in annoyance and sat his butt down at the edge of the path, refusing to go farther. From there, he watched the man run back and forth at least two more times before Tuffnut stood beside him.

"What is he doing?" the twin muttered, eyebrow raised, when the frantic man came racing back out again.

Ruffnut, never too far behind, sighed. "Astrid's sick."

Snotlout, who was going up to the house, paused and looked back. "What?"

"Astrid's sick."

Paling, the young man quickly retraced his steps, just in time to dodge the sprinting Hiccup. "Poor guy." He said in sympathy. Now, the three humans plus one dragon watched the hero racing back and forth. They grew into a six-some when Gobber, Fishlegs, and a Terrible Terror found them.

"What's he doing?" The blacksmith asked, watching his apprentice (now sweating and limping heavily) lumbered past.

"Astrid's sick." The three said simultaneously, watching as Stoick squeezed out of the doorway, careful to leave the path clear and go down the green slopes instead. The chief paused by them, looking over the strange group before shrugging and muttering to himself about strange fellows. He was knocked aside, however, when his son bolted past.

"Sorry, Dad!" The call quickly vanished into the wind as the burly man pulled himself up.

"What's he doing?" Spitelout, Snotlout's father, asked coming up beside him, a few others following.

The twins sighed. "Astrid's sick."

"Astrid's sick?"

"Yes!" Hiccup cried in annoyance, running past them again. "Yes she is!"

Gobber frowned. "Is it Morning Sickness?"

Toothless pushed him over, right into the path of his returning rider. The two blacksmiths hit with a groan and rolled for a few feet before Hiccup leapt up and continued on. By now, the entire village was watching him.

"Well," Stoick said slowly, watching his son until he vanished into the healer's, "at least he's getting some exercise."

Toothless yawned and flopped down onto the ground, falling to sleep under the rhythm of his rider's footsteps as they passed again and again and again.

* * *

Well, just imagine it… or not. Hmm… This was fun, and very interesting. I always imagined Astrid as a pretty demanding person, and the rest of the tribe just watching as poor Hiccup is tortured by it all… who would want to get between a mean Astrid and her axe? Not me!

The reviews are awesome, so keep telling me what you think (I think _Tremors_ is the favorite so far), and if you have ideas, just toss them at me! I'm off to do yours, Seagem!

Happy Reading to you all!

Grim

(P.S. Astrid does not have Morning Sickness, she will not be popping out babies due to the uh... message in _Tremors_. That is all... unless you guys _want_ babies.)


	8. Rebirth

First of all, I know that the Norse did **not** speak Gaelic or anything close to it but rather Northern Old Norse that eventually branched off into modern Scandinavian among other things. Please, I used _Siúil a Rúin_ because it was sung to me when I was a child. This is what I remember of it (and someone can slap me if I get the lyrics or spelling wrong).

I've heard Celtic Woman have it on one of their albums (thanks Keri!). They're available on YouTube and iTunes (and Rhapsody as well… I'm not sure).

The second song choice was _Ailein Duinn_. Another Gaelic song sung to me when I was a kid. Should anyone want to hear it, I would recommend Celtic Spirit's version (for everyone that has played Tomb Raider, this is the Theme that you hear on the title page of _Legend_).

Without further ado:

* * *

_Rebirth_

It wafted over them, a melody in the morning light, the words eerie in the gold and purple that washed over the grey rock and vibrant trees. The first thing to notice it was Toothless' left ear. It twitched before rising higher, and toxic eyes fluttered open before the large black head raised up off of curled paws, pointed snout moving towards the noise.

_Siúil, siúil, siúil a ruin_

_Siúil go sochair agus siúil go ciúin_

Gobber frowned, moving out of his own bed and swinging the windows to his own home open. Tiredly, he rubbed at his eyes before scratching the back of his neck with his good hand. The sun had just peaked over the edge of the horizon, timidly, as if it didn't want to disturb the voice that wafted through the awakening village.

_Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom_

_Siúil, siúil, siúil a rúin_

Yelping, Tuffnut pulled his hand back from where it had hit the wall, rubbing his sore limb with a sour expression. His normally pewter cold eyes softened before he nudged his sister with his foot from her place by the fire. Grumbling, she lifted her fist, about to bring it over his nose. Immediately, he pressed a finger to his lips, cupping his ear in a world known sign. Grumbling, Ruffnut lowered her hand, and listened.

Entranced.

_Siúil go sochair agus siúil go ciúin_

_Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom_

In one of the many dragon barns located in the center of the village, Fishlegs' Gronckle rolled onto its feet, eyes flickering lazily. Snotlout's monstrous nightmare soon joined it, followed by the rest of the groups' dragons. Smoke and gas fluttered up out of their nostrils, filling the building with a hazy cloud. A green Nadder squawked in annoyance when a group of curious Terrors climbed over his body to get up to the open window in the roof.

_Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán_

_I wish I was on yonder hill_

In the second story bedroom of the Chief's house, Astrid rolled clumsily out of bed, landing with a fleshy _thump_ on the floor. For a moment, the young woman stayed there, her blue eyes opened lazily and muscled body feeling the throbbing of hitting the wood. The song drifted to her gently, coaxing her stumbling form to the window, where she caught sight of the warm sunrise. Leaning out the window, head cupped gently in her hand, she smiled.

_T'is there I'd sit and cry my fill_

_Until every tear would turn a mill_

One floor before, Stoick snored noisily before sputtering awake, his own eyes fluttering and blinking as he pushed himself upwards. His lips quirked upwards as the words made their way to him before the large man settled back down into the bed, settling back down and drawn to his dream's fingertips by the lullaby.

_I'll sell my rod, I'll sell my reel_

_I'll sell my only spinning wheel_

Slumbering peacefully in his own home, Snotlout muttered before being drawn back into his dreams as the song urged him on, a persuasive whisper curling hauntingly around his mind. Shadows passed around his wall as ghosts were driven away by the light of a new day, a new beginning.

_To buy my love a sword of steel_

_Siúil, siúil, siúil a ruin_

The Terrible Terror that had taken refuge in the forge grumbled and purred happily as it clambered up out of the ashes from the previous day's work. Tiny claws pattered against the wood before it reached the roof, the spiny tail curling curiously around its body; large yellow eyes staring out into the forest, uninterested in Sól for the time being.

_Siúil go sochair agus siúil go ciúin_

_Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom_

Up long before the morning light to go fishing with his parents, Fishlegs paused on the ramp to catch his breath from hauling the large net of fish slung over his back. He leaned against the rocky-cliff face, round cheeks shining with sea water, as he sighed and just listened.

_Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán_

_I'll dye my petticoats, I'll dye them red_

Stoick's second in command grunted before looking over his work. The firewood had been neatly stacked and organized and Spitelout, in all his tough glory, softened and brushed his bangs back, looking over the glaze of fire that seemed to surround his home. His wife would be getting up soon, and he wished to make her breakfast this special day.

_And 'round the world I'll beg my bread_

_Until my parents shall wish me dead_

The devious sheep, for one moment as they woke up, did not think about the dragons, they did not feel for Fluffy or the other casualties they had lost to the ferocious, fire-breathing mongrels, but rather went about their own business, munching on the grass made fresh with tiny drops of dew, keeping a half ear on the song that soothed their hearts and washed over their bouncy, white wool.

_Siúil, siúil, siúil a ruin_

_Siúil go sochair agus siúil go ciúin_

Far away from all the Vikings, a mother bird cocked her head, listening to the notes that found her. The valley had been quite since the Night Beast and Two-leg had left. She found herself being lonely. Trilling happily, she responded back to the music, even though her mind could not translate it in her own language, a song was a song.

_Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom_

_Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán_

Alone in the darkness of the Mess Hall, an older Viking sat up. His mind had been awashed with ale, his eyes red and dry from tears shed. For a moment, the man didn't recognize his surroundings until the soft words made him relax and, for the first time since the battle of Green Death, left his wife's memory to peace.

_I wish, I wish, I wish in vain_

_I wish I had my heart again_

_And vainly think I'd not complain_

_Is go dte tu mo mhuirnin slan_

Sitting with his knees close to his chest, his own leaf-like eyes watching the sun rising until it was above the horizon, was Hiccup. His lips were in an easy, half smile that scrunched up his eyes around the edges before his mouth opened, sucking in a single breath to finish the rest of the lullaby.

_Siúil, siúil, siúil a ruin_

_Siúil go sochair agus siúil go ciúin_

_Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom_

_Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán_

* * *

That is so long! I tried to get a lot of things that really matter in there guys, and if a few seem a bit repetitive well, I apologize. Word froze about half way through and I settled on going to school and coming back to find it _unfrozen_ and working innocently. It made me throw a hissy fit.

I know it's not funny, so gah. This is Seagem's request, and I hope you all love it. I listened to _Be Our Guest_ and _You've Got a Friend in Me_ the entire way through.

Happy Reading!

Grim

(P.S. I have no idea why Tuffnut hit his hand on the wall. He just did.)


	9. Surprise

Surprise

It was night, the quarter moon had risen, falling lazily behind a blanket of clouds and outshining all the miniscule stars surrounding it. The Village of Berk was calm, peaceful, except for the running figure moving frantically up wooden steps to the Mess Hall.

Inside was the perfect picture of a happy family during Thanksgiving; a few gruff arguments, cheerful laughter, and the dull roar of conversation. It all dies instantly when the two towering doors smashed open with a boom that shook the floor. Every eye turned towards the figure standing, illuminated by the fogged moonlight, in the threshold.

Astrid stood there stiffly, her small fists clenched and blue eyes narrowed into fine slits.

Across from her, sitting between his father and Gobber, was Hiccup. He whimpered and sunk into his seat, Toothless warbling in worry behind him, ears pressed flat against his black head, slinking away from his dinner and cowering in the shadows. Slowly, the group surrounding the table backed away, even Stoick and the Blacksmith steadily scooting farther away from the young man.

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III!" The woman screeched, her voice taking the tone of the Nadder she always rode, making her way slowly to her husband.

Fishlegs ducked under the table as she passed—even though it did no good what so ever at hiding his large frame—"all three names!" He whispered frantically to Ruffnut who nodded, her blue eyes widening as she saw Astrid shove an unlucky Viking out of her way.

'He's totally screwed." She whispered in agreement.

"Wait," Snotlout hissed, peaking over the wood. "He's got a slim chance…" They stared at him like he was insane. "She doesn't have her axe."

Tuffnut's face split into a wide grin filled with shining hope before he mustered up all of his courage to stand on wobbly knees.

"You idiot!" Ruffnut snarled. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Giving him a chance," he whispered back frantically before drawing in as much air as his lungs could take. "RUN HICCUP! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!"

In one fell swoop, Astrid had picked up the nearest mug and had thrown it as hard as she could, knocking the twin off his feet and landing in a limp mess of limbs by his sister. Everyone looked on sadly and moved even farther away from the now terrified Hiccup who was backing further and further into his chair until it looked as if he was about to be swallowed by the table.

Toothless moaned, slinking as stealthily as he could against the wall until his rider's wife shot him a look that just spoke of pure vengeance. He wailed and plopped down next to Hiccup, accepting his fate at the hands of the warrior maiden.

The Earth stood still when the woman reached the Chief's table, a half circle giving her enough room to bring out her fury on her husband. "Hiccup—"

He whimpered, "I DIDN'T DO IT! _Toothless did_!" He pointed an accusing finger at the Night Fury. "It was all _his_ fault! He ate all the fish in the storage!" The Dragon squawked indignantly, shaking his head as if denying the claims.

Astrid continued as if she hadn't heard a word. "—I'm pregnant."

For a moment, two pairs of large green eyes stared at her. Man and dragon both had their jaws open limply before, as one, they both fell over with a solid thunk.

The woman turned around, walking back towards the doors, a self-satisfied grin on her face.

* * *

I hope that came as a surprise! Well, except for Ducklin, this was your prompt (if you couldn't tell)… Hmm… Did you expect that? Yes? No? Well, send me a review! And an idea, if it pleases you.

Happy Reading!

Grim


	10. Plants

_Plants_

It was the honest to Thor truth. Fishlegs sighed as the other teenagers stared at him in wide-eyed silence before the twins began to laugh hysterically. "Guys, really? It's not that funny!"

Astrid snorted, and tried to hide it as a cough, but there was no mistaking the quirk of her lips and glistening eyes. Hiccup however, looked faintly curious. "So, she won't eat—"

"No," the bigger boy said, cutting him off. "No, she won't eat it. I've tried time and time again—" Fishlegs groaned. "Why couldn't I have gotten a _normal_ dragon? It says nothing about this in the manual."

Hiccup shook his head. "The manual says 'extremely dangerous' and 'kill on sight' every other page," he said dryly. "Just ignore the book. And anyways, I'm sure she just doesn't like fish… what's your dragon's name again?"

"Horrorcow."

Snotlout burst into hysterics, joining the chuckling twins. Fishlegs' cheeks grew red. Hiccup, for all his strangeness, ignored it. "Well, have you tried sheep? Or it could just be the type of fish… what have you given her?"

"Cod, Salmon, everything that we catch. She won't go near the sheep… I don't know what to do." His head dropped dejectedly.

"Ah, see!" Tuffnut exclaimed, pushing his sister away. "I _told_ you the Gronckle didn't eat Gobber's sheep!"

Ruffnut huffed and easily wrestled him off the chair, their helmets flying away and rolling beneath the table.

"Oh, you mean Flower?" Hiccup asked innocently and every single one of the teenagers turned to stare at him. His lips twisted into a cruel grin when he realized they had no idea what he was talking about. "The sheep was named Flower. You know… the one that belonged to Gobber? And—Horrocow, is it?—defiantly did _not_ eat it."

Astrid frowned. "Well, who did?"

Toothless wailed loudly, causing a few Vikings to turn and look over in concern at the black dragon. The Night Fury sniffed a few times before lowering his head to his Rider's lap, shoulders shaking in very fake dragon-sobs. There was no doubt in any of their minds who the culprit was. Instead, every single one of them turned their heads slowly, watching Gobber laughing and joking with Stoick at the chief's table.

"YES!" Snotlout cried, jumping up and pointing at the two bewildered men accusingly. "I knew it all along! You two _are_ having a _bro_-mance."

In one swift moment, Astrid's mug hit him in the face ("Will you stop throwing things at me, Woman?!") sending him crashing to the floor and landing on the still bickering twins who paused long enough to push him off.

Spitelout, who was drinking at the time, began to cough as he registered his son's words. Immediately, his own cup slammed down on the table but the teen had already been hassled back into his chair. For a minute, every one stared at the four (plus two if anyone counted the arguing twins and another if the still whimpering dragon was anything to go by) before turning back to their meals.

"So Horrorcow—" Hiccup ignored the sniggers, "—could have eaten a different sheep mistaking it for something else—"

"Where in Vör's name are you getting this?!"

"—thus making her feel extremely guilty and putting her off meat for a few days!" The teen ended triumphantly, his lips twisted in a proud smile as the other five stared at him with strange expressions on their faces.

"Fishlegs?" Snotlout said, his voice remorseful. "Your dragon's a Vegetarian."

A banshee cry tore from Toothless as he moved his head to the table with a small crash, sending mugs, plates, and food up a few inches into the air before they landed with a clatter.

* * *

In the book, Fishlegs' dragon (Horrorcow) is a Vegetarian. That's the cow part. The Horror is just to make it sound terrifying, but only makes it hilarious. So, nah. It's been stuck in my head and I got it out, so now it's here and I hope ya'll enjoy!

Review, slap me with ideas, and everyone goes home happy (I'm working on two more, but all are welcome!)

Happy Reading!

Grim


	11. Wisdom

_Wisdom_

It was quite an ordinary day, in the ordinary village of Berk, with a group of ordinary—who was he kidding? Tuffnut grunted beside him, slouched partially over, watching with one eyebrow raised at the scene below. Fishlegs looked out of place trying to hide amongst the trees, while he, Snotlout, just watched on with uncharacteristic amusement. His face was lit up with vicious glee that almost looked predatorily hungry. For what? Drama.

Every teenager needed drama, and poor young Hiccup was now in the midst of what could be the most epic cat-fight in history. The poor boy was looking between the two blonde ladies, his face so pale that his freckles stood out like Toothless among kittens. Speaking of the dragon, he was half perched, half ready to lunge should either female decide to bring his friend into the battle.

He needn't have worried. The girls had eyes only for each other with Astrid fingering her axe and Ruffnut smirking as she hefted her spear. Both had been sharpened to an extremely dangerous point. Snotlout chuckled in glee, rubbing his hands together like an evil mastermind about to take over the world.

"Uh… ladies?" Hiccup tried, stepping forward before a large, black tail pulled him back. "Can't we, uh, talk this over? Just for a moment?"

"No." It wasn't a shout, but a whisper; a cold, flesh crawling I'm-going-to-destroy-your-body-then-eat-your-soul voice that only a spirit of death would use.

Laughing nervously, the redhead allowed Toothless to pull him up beside the rock the dragon was sitting on. A large wing draped across the boy, hugging him close to the ebony body. For a moment, the Night Fury purred happily, watching the blondes with half narrowed eyes.

For a moment, the girls smiled sickening sweet grins before they both turned to face the satisfied dragon. Toothless warbled for a moment before rising with a terrified roar, launching himself over the two as they lunged, reaching for the hidden boy.

"He's mine!"

Screaming, Hiccup ran out into the forest—well, no so much _ran_ then _rolled down the hill_—"Ah! Come back buddy! _Please_!" He dodged a tackle from Ruffnut and just about hit a tree in the mean time. "Toothless! I give you cod for the _rest of your_—" A black blur whipped out of the trees, grabbing the boy by the collar of his shirt before bounding around the trunks.

Curling up instinctually, Hiccup closed his eyes, hoping that his clothing wouldn't rip from the amount of strain placed upon it. It was only a minute or so before Toothless stopped, gently placing the shaking boy on the ground and nudging him with a large, scaly nose.

After a few worried licks, Hiccup finally unrolled, his breathing ragged, before he heard hysterical laughter flooding the trees. Apparently, he wasn't the only one, because the loud crashes signifying where the girls were had stopped and were heading in the other direction.

Snotlout was laughing so hard that he and Tuffnut were forced to support each other. Fishlegs, however, paled and slowly began to back away. Finally, the two boys wiped the tears from their eyes and stumbled to their feet…

And noticed two very familiar, very angry blondes watching them with not-so-amused expressions on their faces.

"Run?"

Tuffnut didn't answer, but he ran—straight towards his sister. She yelped when he got her around the waist, sending them both tumbling downwards. Snotlout knew he wouldn't be as lucky. So he just turned on his heel and tried to get as far away from the furious, axe-swinging maniac behind him.

Fishlegs sighed, his eyes moving upwards as Hiccup and toothless snuck out of the trees with such ease it made him—yes, _him_—raise an eyebrow.

"Are they gone?"

"Yes."

Hiccup groaned in relief as the burlier boy sighed. Yep, it was an ordinary day, for the not so ordinary Berk.

* * *

Ladeeda… Bumbedambumbum shoodala… Can you guess what the title is referring to? This is another prompt by Ducklin. Ruffnut falls for Hiccup, Astrid gets jealous... how would it turn out? Hmmm... this would be my way.

I have DISNEY SONGS STUCK IN MY HEAD!!!!

Cha.

So, review, throw bricks covered in ideas (well… maybe not a _brick_), and:

Happy Reading!

Grim


	12. Black

_Black_

"_An Artist's sketchbook is like their diary only without a lock and a key."_

It was just sitting there in the dirt, unharmed by the chaos of the fire that had purged the village for the past few hours and was slowly being smothered by groups of Vikings hoisting buckets. A small, furred boot came down, accidently stepping on the worn leather cover before moving back, a hand—clothed in a striped glove—reached down and gently pried it from the earth. Astrid frowned, shaking the excess soil off before sliding it under her arm, pouring the last of her water on some glowing embers that died with a hiss of agony.

Placing her own bucket next to the others, she avoided the attention of all the other teens, making her way to the mess hall. Once the teen was certain no one else was following her, or there was a chance for them to leap upon her, she cracked open the book.

And her blank stare was met by an equally blank page.

Astrid frowned, but turned her attention to the beginning, hearing the binding crack from usage and the leather groan. There was no name, no signature, and no words. Just a picture. Her blue eyes widened at the sight of perfectly portrayed hands (or hand—the other one had been replaced by a hammer that acted like an extension to the arm) molding… something. She looked closer, her eyes slightly narrowed. A ring. Forging a small, but beautiful wedding ring.

Shaking her head in disbelief (and avoiding the Mess Hall doors, instead moving around to the side where she was hidden from prying eyes), she sat down on one of the small, stump-like boulders. Inhaling sharply, she flipped the page—

—and found herself staring into familiar round eyes, an ellipse shaped face, with a thick braid drooping over a slim shoulder. A slight smile was on her lips, eyes glistening in laughter and mischief. Astrid let her finger outline her nose and mouth, looking over the fine details that created, well, _her_. A word at the bottom caught her attention.

"Worth?" She whispered unknowingly, smearing the letters as she ran her finger over them before pulling back. The teen let her legs curl into each other, half hunched over the now known sketchbook before she turned to the next.

It made her laugh. On one side was a creature made of shadow with lightning as eyes. Huge canines stuck out from its lower lip, and long, monstrous wings were half unfurled. The other half was taken up by a not so demonic creature with large, almond shaped eyes (looking more like they belonged to a lost puppy than anything else), two floppy ears that were standing straight up, and a very awkward toothless smile on the salamander face. The bat-like wings it had were slightly unfurled, but only for balance, and the stubby forelegs were curled in a begging position. She didn't read the title below it out loud—"A common deception". She didn't get it, but it must have had some meaning to the owner as it outlined by strangely artistic squiggles.

Still giggling, she flipped the page and almost dropped the book in shock. It wasn't extravagant, and it wasn't even remotely surprising. In fact, the only thing on the page was one great, big eye narrowed in absolute hatred and surrounded by ebony scales from top to bottom. The pupil was narrowed into a raging slit, with only value showing the possibility of the different colors mixed inside. Astrid looked it over, seeing the small detail of the scales and tiny veins in the iris before she moved on.

When she felt the sadness from the new sketch perk up, she immediately wished she hadn't moved on so quickly. It was a figure, a white, blank figure with nothing inside. Around it was a completely different matter. Burly Vikings celebrated, clanking mugs together, laughing, eating heartily while the unmarked person—shoulders slunk in defeat, head bowed—seemed to be unseen by everyone. The picture was crowded (uncomfortably so) and filled with detail of armor, fur, helmets, even salt burned faces. Astrid quickly looked for a title, which wasn't hard to find since it was underlined at least three times and written as if the artist was furious. "Useless," she whispered and looked over the sketch. "Useless and forgotten." The blonde worried her lip, her eyes unmoving from the sadness in the person's stance.

At last she was able to shake herself out of her stupor and moved on. The next one was tilted "Improbable", but she would never know why until a few weeks afterwards. It was Stoick, grinning proudly, his eyes scrunched up into small, happy lines. The burly mustache curled across his face and chest; untamed. It held no more of interest than that, so she turned the page.

There was a picture of Fishlegs ("Friend?"), of the twins, Snotlout, and the many types of animals on Berk. But two things seemed to fill up the book; her and the same strange dragon she had seen before. It was drawn in as many ways possible; cute, funny, furious, playful, sad… they all seemed to be there.

Astrid had never seen the creature before and found herself staring at them longer than the others, trying to fit the dragon in with her memory of the Dragon Manual. To her knowledge it looked like none of the others she had seen and began to wonder if it was simply made up—a fabrication of the artist's imagination.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, the blonde realized it was time for her to get ready for training. She stood up, stretching, before coming around the side of the Mess Hall. Astrid didn't expect to see anyone, so when Hiccup was walking up the steps, she scowled.

He looked depressed; shoulders slumped, head down, walking slowly without any true destination in mind. Grunting, he kicked out hatefully at a rock, watching as it flew down the hill. Green eyes flickered upward for a moment and caught sight of her. They were dark and slanted—lazy almost—with auburn hair falling over them. Immediately her mind focused on "Useless", placing Hiccup in the space of the undrawn person, before pushing those thoughts away.

His gaze seemed almost searching as they roamed her face before, as if drawn to it, they turned to the book. Hiccup sucked in a sharp breath, lips twisting into a frown, before he turned around and began his way back down the path. Astrid hurried to follow him; she knew who the sketchbook belonged to.

"Hey! _Hey_! Hiccup!" That only seemed to make him move faster, but he wasn't running like she was, so the girl was able to turn him around, a tight scowl on both their faces. "Didn't anyone tell you its rude to walk away from someone who's trying to talk to you?"

He snorted—sounding suspiciously like a dragon—with his gaze narrowed. "We have a very different definition of rude," Hiccup's mouth had opened as if to say her name before shaking his head, about to turn back around when she stopped him.

"Is this yours?" She held up the book.

Hiccup worried his lip, eyes moving to the ground. "Yes," he decided at last. "What are you going to do with it?"

"Ex_cuse_ me?"

He rolled his eyes, making Astrid feel like a complete idiot for asking that question. She bristled angrily.

"I mean," Hiccup said slowly, as if he was talking to a two year-old. "That every time you or anyone else gets a hold of my books they always end up fueling the fires." His voice was monotone and he wiped his hair away from his face impatiently but she saw his gaze flicker almost worriedly at the leather cover.

Astrid flushed. "Uh… I-no…" She managed and he raised his eyebrow. "No, I'm not going to throw it into the fire."

"Really? Then what _are_ you going to do with it?"

She snarled, making him take a step back. "I'm trying to give it back to—"

Hiccup snatched it from her before she could finish, frantically flapping through the pages, looking for damage before nodding. "You could've just handed it to me." He said before turning around, going back down the hill, book cradled in his arms like a precious child.

"Hey, Hiccup." He paused, but didn't look back. "Um, about 'Useless'… you know that, well, uh…"

His sharp green eyes turned back towards her, a tight-lipped scowl marring his features before his face contorted into an ugly grimace. "Astrid," he spat out, "mind your own business." Then he turned and vanished into the village, leaving the shocked girl behind until she huffed and turned in the opposite direction.

* * *

Hiccup's cold in this; in the movie, he's always happy and joyful and _bluh_. Someone who's been called worthless all his life can have a few sad days. I like this Hiccup, but seeing as some people might want him to be all 'in character' I'll stick with that.

This, by-the-way, is based off a true story between my best friend and I. We met by her finding my sketchbook (and I was not very happy about her going through it).

Anyway, review, throw around ideas (this wasn't a prompt, I just decided to write it) and as always;

Happy Reading!

Grim


	13. Pain

This is for kt2209 who asked for a game of Truth or Dare (which I am not very good at, so bare with me.)

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I'll get to you as soon as I can!

* * *

_Pain_

The Mess Hall was empty; most of the Vikings had gone home, daring to run through the thundering storm to the safety of their own houses. In the corner by the bonfire, each of them holding a mug full of warm liquid of their choice, were Berk's famous, troublemaking teenagers. They were sitting around their normal scarred and worn table and, in the center of them all, was a small, glass bottle.

Astrid was grinning smugly, the end pointing directly as Ruffnut who was trying her best to look fearless while her eyes flickered, looking for an escape. Already—due to unknown reasons—she was soaked to the bone, her blonde hair sticking to her skin in uncomfortable clumps.

"Ruffnut," The warrior maiden started, her eyes glinting dangerously. "Truth or Dare?"

"Uh… dare?" The others winced in sympathy; each of them had already been in the limelight already, and the only one who had come out unscathed was Hiccup who was cheerfully sketching with his dagger, gently scratching into the wood.

"I dare you to…" Leaning across, Astrid whispered into the other blonde's ear and the group watched with growing unease when Ruffnut's eyes began to widen.

Once the smaller girl had leaned back, the twin stood. "All of you are invited to my funeral." She said mournfully before heading towards the doors. Every single one of them rose to follow (though Hiccup was more like dragged away, his dagger falling to the table).

Astrid stopped them at the doors, leaning against the wall as they watched Ruffnut run through the rain… to the Chief's house. Interest rising, Hiccup leaned past his girlfriend, watching as she knocked loudly on his front door. Stoick answered, illuminated by the fire within, looking over the soaked girl with mild confusion on his drunk face.

Not waiting for him to say anything, Ruffnut burst forward, hugging him around the waist. "I _LOVE_ you!" She cried before leaping backwards, sliding on the mud, and racing back up towards them, bowling past her brother and the laughing Snotlout. Her eyes turned to Astrid, narrowed. "You're dead."

The smaller girl smirked before they all headed back to the table. Ruffnut was still seething when she spun the bottle, but it fell away when she saw her victim. Her eyes glinted when she turned to her snickering brother. "Tuff, truth or dare?"

Eagerly almost, he puffed out his chest, a cocky smirk on ellipse face. "Dare!"

Her lips twisted into a dark smirk. "I dare you to go stomp on Toothless' tail."

They all turned to stare at the sleeping Nigh Fury who seemed quite content curled up by the fire. "Wha—are you serious?" Tuffnut whispered, his eyes wide and flickering between his soaked sister and the dragon. "He'll eat me!"

"Are you refusing to take the dare?" Ruffnut challenged, her own eyes narrowing, the grin on her lips getting wider.

Tuffnut looked around at the faces looking at him—minus Hiccup, who was once again sketching with his knife—before standing and making his way slowly to the dragon. Once he was closest to the tail (and farthest from the head) he raised his foot—

_ROOAAAWR!_

Toothless sprang upwards, his body arching, teeth bared, before he saw the running Tuffnut. Claws scrambling at the floor, the dragon gave hot pursuit, leaping and bringing the boy down. They slid a few minutes across the ground, the Night Fury hissing and spitting, opening his mouth—

Tuffnut fainted, and Toothless stepped off of him, looking quite pleased with himself before sitting next to Hiccup, his tail curled completely around his body. The bright, toxic gaze watched the twin in silence, pupils narrowed into fine slits. Snotlout sighed and stomped over, dumping part of his drink over the twin's head.

The blonde sprang upwards, quite surprised he was still alive, until he saw Toothless watching him from the other side of the room. Smiling warily, he approached before reaching out to the bottle and giving it a spin, sighing in relief when it landed on Fishlegs. "Truth or dare, Fishbreath."

The larger kid sighed. "Dare."

Tuffnut looked around and sighed, shrugging. "I dare you to… uh… kiss Ruffnut." Both turned scarlet, but only one was in embarrassment.

"What?"

"Ex_cuse_ me?"

He sneered, "You heard me. Do it. On the lips."

Hiccup looked up, curiosity taking over. Sighing, Fishlegs turned to the girl and leaned over, pecking her gently on the lips.

"What the hell was that?!" Snotlout cried, motioning between them. "You call that a kiss?"

Fishlegs sighed, ignoring it, spinning the bottle. "Snotlout, truth or dare?"

"I'll show you what a _dare_ is, Fishy!" He shouted, excited before the large teen leaned in, whispering into his ear. His face dropped before brightening and he sauntered up to Astrid, leaning against the table, smirking flirtatiously. Everyone tensed. Slowly, he leaned closer and closer, either not noticing the expression on her face, or ignoring it. Finally, inches from her lips, he whispered; "Come on, Baby! Light my fire!" Instantly, he sprung away and the tightly curled fist missed him by a hair's breath.

What he didn't expect, was for Astrid to follow. He hit the ground with an oomph, the rest of his drink being poured over his head before she dropped the mug. With a huff, she sat down next to Hiccup, looking over at his drawing and smiling before moving back.

The black haired boy groaned, rubbing his head as he sat up before moving back to the table and twisting the innocent looking glass, glaring hatefully at it until it landed…

Pointing at Hiccup.

"Ha! Truth or dare?"

Green eyes blinked lazily. "Truth." The rest groaned.

"Pick dare!" Ruffnut cried. "You always pick truth!"

"And you _always_ pick dare." He shot back just as easily before looking expectantly at Snotlout.

Who was grinning like a maniac. "All right… Hiccup, are you a virgin?"

Immediately, both Astrid and the redhead turned a bright scarlet. The blonde's eyes narrowed in fury as Hiccup turned away. They both answered at the same time, but only one made everyone stop and stare in surprise. "Yes." and "No."

All eyes turned to the furiously blushing boy who was fidgeting nervously under his girlfriend's glare. "_Who_?" She whispered, pinning him down. "Who was it?"

Hiccup smiled shakily, and looked around the group for help. They didn't offer any, all looking at him in curiosity. "I—uh… hmmm… wait!" He pointed at Fishlegs frantically. "only one question per truth, right?"

Fishlegs nodded.

Slowly, the redhead gave his shaking girlfriend a tight lipped smile. "See? Uh… c-can't answer." She slowly backed off, promising death and destruction later. Hiccup reached for the bottle, the tip pointing at Tuffnut. He sighed in relief. "Truth or Dare?"

"Uh, dare."

"I dare you to grab one of the cook's pots and run around the village, beating it with a cooking spoon, and screaming like you're being chased by Toothless… again." The dragon perked up at his name and growled at the twin as he rose. Ruffnut was already coming back with a big saucer and wooden spoon, handing them over cheerfully to her brother.

Tuffnut grumbled angrily. "Its like you guys _want_ me to die."

"No," Fishlegs said. "Just banished."

The teen sighed and hoisted the two cooking utensils, the rest of the group following him to the door. Taking a deep breath, he plunged into the darkness banging loudly and screaming. The first light to flutter on was Stoick's before windows were steadily glowing brighter as the harsh noises began to move away. Hiccup smirked until the sounds halted abruptly.

For a moment, the group shared nervous looks until, lit by the glow of the windows, a furious Gobber marched up the path. "You lot! Yes!" He made it up to where they were, eyeing their innocent faces. "No more of this 'truth or dare' game! It's just about two in the morning." He pointed towards the village, towering over all of them except for Fishlegs. "Go home!"

Grumbling, the teens dispersed, but as Astrid looked around for Hiccup, she found he was already gone, having vanished with Toothless long before Gobber had come into view. It was probably for the best; she wanted answers, and she'll _get_ them even if it had to be tortured out of his body by force.

Hiccup, cowering in the rain, hiding besides the Mess Hall, decided it had been a pretty good idea to avoid the Good-night kiss.

Even if Toothless was sputtering behind him; rain falling into his nostrils as he tried to catch the droplets in his mouth.

* * *

There it is, my pathetic game of Truth or Dare. Gah. T'is ugly.

Now, ya'll, don't forget to send me a nice, juicy review (If you liked it, hated it, or just want to say something) and an idea if it suits your fancy!

Happy Reading!

Grim


	14. Love

_Love_

His breathing turned ragged, heart pumping painfully as the liquid dripped over his hands, sticky and warm. For a moment, his shocked eyes widened in horror at his own flesh before moving to the maroon puddle growing larger and larger after each passing moment.

She was beautiful, even with dark bruises marring her fair skin, her mouth opened slightly, half lidded eyes staring at the night sky gradually fleeing from the hungry flames eating their way towards the stars. Her blonde hair was clotted with dirt, sweat, and blood; the braids having fallen out a while ago, when they had—together, as always—blown apart the former Kill Arena. Faintly, he could feel the blood stop trying to push through his hands, her body settling at last.

"_NO!_"

The wrenched scream reached his ears a few seconds after it burst through his lips. His muscles trembled with fatigued and desperation. "No, no, no, no, no, _no_!" Another cry—more like a wail—surfaced over the greedy fire and an explosion rocked the world as a house crumbled beneath a flash of blue light. His form sagged forward under the shockwave, torn between exhaustion and sorrow, until two firm arms wrapped around his waist.

"_C'mon_ man—we gotta get out of here!" Snotlout's voice made its way over the din of war cries and furious roars.

"N-no… she—"

The bigger boy grunted. "She's gone. Dead." The word was brutal and his flesh crawled. "Live. Now. Stoick says we need to go!"

For a moment, his lips opened soundlessly, a choking sob tearing through him instead and he realized that her body was getting colder. "She's—I can't _just_ leave her!"

"You have to." Snotlout ordered, but he guided the man to his feet. "I'm sorry."

His pewter gaze narrowed in hatred. "No you're not." He hissed. "You don't know—"

"Oh for the love of—" Snotlout hit him harshly in the cheek, scowling, knocking the boy back. "Did that pull your head out of your ass? She wouldn't want you sitting here waiting for some moron to stab your own spear through your heart, would she?!"

Sighing in resignation, the young man turned his gaze away from her mangled body, and a rage worse than anything he had ever experienced rushed through his body. It empowered him, it terrified him, but his bloodied hand picked the spear off the ground anyway. The anger reared its terrible head as he ran; everyone he didn't recognize was slain beneath his fingers, and when his weapon broke, he jumped into the fray with only his fists, beating the enemy down

At one point, someone had forced him upon a Zippleback, sending him off over the sea as his body shook with the lust for blood, for death. He ignored his own wounds, guiding the dragon beneath him with unmatched skill.

His gaze flashed when a pile of blonde hair flashed in the moonlight, riding upon a monstrous black creature carrying Hiccup. For a moment, he felt an unadulterated hatred for them, before it was squashed by guilt. Licking his dried lips, the man looked back to see Berk lit up like daylight, only it was as though the sun it self had crashed into the village.

Frantically, his eyes skewered the town, looking for any sign, anything that even resembled his sister.

And when he couldn't, Tuffnut wondered if it was horrible that he felt a sick sense of relief.

* * *

I wrote this a few days ago when I started it, but now that I see it here, I can't help but feel a bit relieved. Why? I don't know. I did not kill off Ruffnut because I hate her (quite the opposite, actually) but rather to show the love that is between these two.

Review, really, because I want to know what you think about this as I work on "White" the companion to "Black"—That is, by the way, going to be a bit… different from "Black" (that is, if I can get all my thoughts down on paper…).

As always; Happy Reading!

Grim

(P.S. Thanks to all the people who reviewed over the last few chapters that I can't get in contact with (Either your PM is off or you're anonymous) so thanks so much)

(P.P.S. For all those people who want to know who Hiccup lost his virginity to… I don't know. Anyone can have the rights to come up with someone. That part in _Pain_ was just to add a bit of 'WTF???'. If I, however, do come up with something, I will defiantly write it. But now… it's just not getting enough plot bunny poop to get more than two-hundred words and a sketch.)


	15. Words

_Words_

It was cold, beating against his skin. Hiccup curled inwards, ducking his head into his arms, sheltering himself from the pounding rain but able to watch the sun from where it rose above the horizon, beyond the stormy clouds. He could feel it running down over his back and across his chest, sending Goosebumps along his skin.

His breath caught. It was glorious, and completely worth the cold he would feel for the rest of the day. Reds purples, and a soft peach were painted together by the Gods, and he had a soft pleasure of thinking it was just for him. Who else would dare come out in a storm like this when breakfast was being served, nice and hot, in the warm, dry Mess Hall?

Hiccup felt his lips twitch into a small smile, peaking out from his straight, water-logged bangs. Last night, he had been unaware of the storm clouds gathering, so when they reared their ugly heads, he was unprepared and didn't even bother to grab something to keep him dry on the way out.

It was an oxymoron, this rainy sunset. High above, he could see the darkness that rolled and rumbled, following the night as the rising sun chased them away. He was alone to watch the event, but it didn't stop the small, bright smile on his face.

The grass around him had risen to face the light, only slightly hindered by the rain, trees creaked in the silence the birds hadn't filled; still buried deep in their nests, waiting for the storm to pass. The smaller animals that were normally rambunctious at this time stayed in their homes, leaving only Hiccup.

Even when the sun had risen a few inches over the waters, he hadn't moved, continually letting his small form be bowed before nature until, just as suddenly, the rain stopped. He blinked a few seconds and looked up.

A wing rose over his body, black with supple leather, blocking him from the pattering droplets. Hiccup stared at it for a few seconds, before his eyes turned to the ebony, scaled body it belonged to. Toothless watched him with his great, green eyes, pupils dilated in curiosity and understanding before his salamander-like head turned to stare at Sól. The teen slowly uncurled, but didn't say anything, his small smile growing wider.

Some friendships needed no words spoken.

* * *

Yes, it's short. Like, 400 words, or something…

I'm posting this up just so that all of you can have something to chew on while I try to figure out if a full length story (not based off any of these drabbles but rather one that ended up being longer than I thought) is really worth going through.

As always; review and hit me with ideas!

Happy Reading!

Grim


	16. White

_White_

What right did she have? Being _rude_ to walk away when she tried to talk to _him_? When had she ever wished to _talk_ to _him_? Hiccup kicked angrily at the tree trunk, his book still cradled preciously in his arms. His green eyes rose to the blue sky, lips curling back into a dark snarl, unknowingly copying a very familiar, very dangerous dragon. _Who did she think she was?!_

He knew he was going to be late to training and, to be honest; he didn't want to go at all. Why face it all again? Why go back? The sneers, the laughter… Hiccup deflated, slumping against the tree he had so viciously kicked moments before, eyes closing slowly as they lowered form the sky. Why was he so _angry_? He sighed in defeat, auburn hair falling over his face and he lowered his arms, sitting down and letting the book fall into his lap.

Toothless. The teen rose again. Toothless would know, and if he couldn't gather what the dragon was saying, he was good company anyway. Sighing, he pushed himself away from the sticky bark and made his way towards the valley where an anxious Night Fury would be waiting for him. The first friend he ever had.

And with that, the sorrow came back.

He wasn't fit to be with _Vikings_. What if the gods had made a mistake and he truly was as worthless as everyone said? Hiccup squeezed between the two openings in the rock, climbing down into the valley where he was greeted by a cheerful Toothless. Smiling, the boy placed his sketchbook on one of the boulders, cupping the dragon's head in his hands and pulling him closer into a makeshift hug.

Warbling in worry, Toothless nudged him before lowering to the ground, opening his wing as a gesture to join in. Smiling, Hiccup took the invitation, leaning against the surprisingly cool scales before his book landed in his lap. Frowning, his eyes turned upwards and the Night Fury snorted, resting his head on the ground, one eyes straying back to stare at him.

Grinning, Hiccup pulled out his charcoal stick from his belt and, looking out over the pond for a minute, began to draw. His hand worked diligently until the side of his pinky was stained with black markings. Licking his lips, the teen was drawn into his work, ignoring the light source as it faded behind the cliff faces, turning the valley purple and a dark blue.

Finally, he pulled away, grinning at Toothless and, without words, lifted the drawing to show his best friend. The dragon warbled in agreement, even though Hiccup knew his mind couldn't process the image. His anger had fled with every stroke and, promising that he would return in the morning with food, the teen fled back to the village.

Reaching his house, Hiccup hurried inside, moving up to his room and looking around at the separate drawings covering his walls. Brushing his hair aside, the teen grabbed one of his smaller books off the table and almost fell down the stairs in his rush. He raced down the path from the Mess Hall, almost running over Astrid in the mean time (whom he ignored) before racing out to the docks.

Fishlegs' parents were still there, but just watched him curiously as he grabbed two rolls of snapped rope and racing off again, back towards the forest to pick a good spot after dropping off the supplies with Toothless. The dragon perked up when the green eyes saw him, but the large beast didn't move, sensing the hurry the teen was in. Thankful, Hiccup raced off again, further from the valley, and reaching a small clearing, sitting down on a rock and thinking.

* * *

Astrid glared at him as he sat there, scribbling in his notebook, as she had been for the past few minutes. "Well?" The blonde finally snapped, but grew angrier when he didn't answer. "Hiccup? Hello?!" Sighing, he looked up at her, eyes lazy again, and cold, stone-like even. Astrid ignored it. "You shouldn't be in here alone."

"I'm not alone," The redhead hummed, moving his attention back to his notebook. "You're here."

Her wide blue eyes blinked at him, startled. "S-so I am." Astrid frowned, looking around for any type of hint in which way the village was. Hiccup was no help, sitting still; the only noise coming from his was the soft scratching of charcoal on paper. "Which way?"

"Forward," he muttered, pointing to where she had been looking for the past few minutes, "the only direction worth moving in." Then, Hiccup slid off the boulder, turning away from her and the village, moving into the trees.

He pushed through the branches, being sure that, should she want to follow, he wouldn't lead her to Toothless. His book was still open, charcoal pencil still in hand. The sketch wasn't his greatest, but it got the point across. Adding a few more details as he walked, the teen heard a snap behind him. Frowning, he turned to look and saw Astrid watching him curiously.

Slowly, he raised an eyebrow in her direction before shrugging and moving on. Why should he care about her pastimes? Even if they involved her following him. Finally, when the fourth, snapped twig broke his concentration, he turned to confront her. "Why are you following me?"

Astrid flushed uncomfortably, fidgeting before looking him over. The fact that his posture was so relaxed made her blink. He didn't seem angry, quite the opposite, but his eyes were unwelcoming and she flinched. Hiccup frowned at the motion before moving on, his tips tightening. The blonde moved after him, coming up close, but only to watch, not daring to invade his personal space.

They walked on in silence, Hiccup flinching whenever she made a noise, but didn't comment, instead leading her to the cliff edge where he had begun to watch sunsets at an early age and… he shook his head, dispelling those thoughts and sat down. After a second of hesitation, Astrid copied and looked out over the glistening sea.

"It's beautiful out here."

He grunted, leaving his bangs covering his eyes.

"How long have you known about this place?"

"Six."

"Huh?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Six years."

Astrid frowned. "How'd you find it?"

"Accident," _No it wasn't_, his thoughts whispered, but he pushed them away harshly. Now was not the time to be dwelling on the past. Her shuffling said everything; she didn't believe him.

"What type of—"

His head shot up, eyes narrowing. "Astrid, this is not 'dwell into Hiccup's life story' time." She looked startled as his lips pulled back. "No, you followed because I allowed you to, now please _shut up_ and let me _**concentrate**_!" Hiccup finished with a snarl before looking back over his drawing, but he couldn't concentrate anymore. Sighing, he rested his head in his hands, form shaking slightly. Deep breaths soothed his form, quelling the shaking before he picked himself up again and went back to his drawing.

And stared at it. Rubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand, the teen turned the page, loosing interest and starting anew.

"Hiccup?"

He sighed. "What?"

"Look, just answer this question, all right?"

Hiccup set down his charcoal stick and turned to her, smirking slightly. "You just asked one."

With exasperation, she waved off his comment. "Yes, yeah, I know." Her blue eyes brushed his green, and she found herself enthralled. "But, just this, all right? Then I'll leave." Slowly, tensely, he nodded and Astrid took a deep breath. "How did you _really_ find the cliff?"

"How about we trade an answer for an answer," he said instead, his gaze flickering away from her, trained towards the ground. "I'll answer your question, if you can answer mine, is that a deal?"

She thought about it for a moment and then nodded sharply. "Yes."

"Why do you care?"

Astrid blinked in surprise. Whatever she _had_ expected him to ask, it wasn't that. He watched her with an emotionless mask on his face when her mouth opened and closed soundlessly.

"I-I don't know."

"That's not an answer." Hiccup waited, his makeshift pencil now moving across the parchment. He let her think as he drew, waiting patiently until the sun was partially hidden on the horizon.

Finally, Astrid spoke. "I-I guess it's because we're not exactly different… I mean—" she cut him off as he opened his mouth, "—we're both outcasts. Well, you more than I, but…" Sighing, she paused and he could almost hear the gears working in her head. "We both will never fit in with anyone else." The blonde finished awkwardly, but Hiccup understood her well enough.

With a sigh, he put down his pencil. "When I was ten years old, life was… well, it sucked. It had been a few days or so after my mom died." He flinched when the screams and smell of burning flesh awakened in his mind. "And my father… it seemed as if he blamed it on me."

"But how—"

"I wasn't in the house," he whispered. "I followed her, saw the whole thing."

Astrid moved closer hesitantly, worrying her lip. "I-I'm sorry, Hiccup."

"Being sorry won't ever bring her back." He stated simply, his eyes lowered, not looking at her. "My father, Stoick… he—he said some pretty awful things that night and I-I just wanted to get away…"

The blonde frowned. "So you ran into the woods—"

Hiccup nodded. "Yes, I didn't—I—it wasn't an accident that I first came here." He licked his cracked lips. "I just wanted to get away from it all and… and I wanted to see her again."

"Oh, Hiccup you didn't—"

He ignored her, "It was the logic of a ten year-old, you know? If I jumped, maybe—maybe the Gods would have mercy and let me just see her one more time to tell her that I'm sorry for running out that night… that—that—" Hiccup cut himself off, closing his eyes tightly. He hadn't cried for six years, today was not the day to start.

"What—what made you turn away?"

Frowning, he turned to her again. "I—" _Fear, cowardice._ "I imagined the shame in her eyes, and that hurt more than my father ever could."

Astrid sighed, moving even closer until their knees almost touched. "It wasn't your fault, Hiccup."

He laughed bitterly. "Right, sure it wasn't. And while I try to believe that, you _**lot**_ remind me _every day_. 'Hiccup the _Useless'_, 'the _worst_ Viking Berk has _ever_ seen'. What do you people _**want**_ with me?!" The redhead threw his book away, standing up and stomping his way away from her, closer to the edge, looking down at the crashing sea far below. "I can't lift a hammer," he quoted Gobber softly, "I can't swing an axe. All I can do—" Hiccup paused, biting his lip before his two, worn books were held out for him.

"You can draw," Astrid said softly, "I've never seen anyone with the ability you have. You're smart and witty…" Her eyes caught his no longer stony ones, as they were so consumed with anger and grief. "And an incredible blacksmith." She laughed slight. "That was a very unfair trade."

"No one ever said life was _fair_."

Gently, he took the two sketchbooks from her, looking down at them before glancing upwards, into her own eyes. Slowly, cautiously, he opened his larger book, flipping through the pages before he reached the one he had drawn earlier that day, sitting next to Toothless and looked down at it.

It was the Night Fury, his snout pointing upwards to the starry sky. Black wings were pressed tightly against his slim body and his long tail was curled around his form. His one tailfin was upright, proudly showing off the missing second half. Licking his lips, Hiccup picked up his pencil and, in a small flourish, wrote 'Wish' before shutting it softly.

"Can I see it?" Astrid asked softly and watched his eyes flash with white-hot rage before calming. Slowly, he handed over both the books, sitting down in the fading light and watching as she flipped through the drawings, settling on the one he had just named. "What is it?"

"He—" Hiccup licked his lips, "His name is Toothless."

She whispered it, looking over the serene look on the dragon's face. "It's—_he's_—beautiful. What dragon is he?" He didn't answer, so the blonde turned the page to the sketch he had been working on in the forest. Astrid caught her breath, looking over the image in awe. Once again, it was a picture of her, but in training. Her arms was arched back, axe held tightly in her hands, with the forest surrounding her. The expression on her face was one of complete concentration, not broken by anything, even—she giggled—the four faces that she was able to pick up between the trunks. "Wow, Hiccup… this, this is amazing!"

The redhead smiled softly, looking away as she turned to the next. It was a young boy, looking away out to an unfinished ocean. His hair was caught in the breeze, grass catching at his ankles as he looked over the side of the cliff. Barely noticeable, in the clouds, was a chariot. Her blue eyes rose to meet the leaf-green. "Are you going to finish it?"

"Someday," Hiccup murmured honestly. "But not today."

Gently, she shut the book before turning her gaze to the smaller one in his hands. "Can I see that one?"

"No!" He flinched away, but blushed at his harsh tone. "Uh, it's… it's personal."

"Oh," Astrid held out the one she was holding, watching as he took it with tender care. "Um, can—that is, if you want to—can I see more when you finish them?"

Hiccup's head shot up, eyes wider than she had ever seen them, looking over her with incredibility. After a few minutes, it seemed as though she passed the test and he nodded slowly. The sun was now just a sliver of light on the horizon and he stood, helping her up. "Might as well get back."

She frowned, looking into the trees. "Which way do we go?"

"Forward, Astrid," he stated as if the answer was obvious, "the only direction worth moving in."

* * *

The Sequel, I guess, to "Black".

I hate this, why? Because I do. It's horrible and came out nothing like it was supposed to and I got so sick and tired of deleting the other five drafts that I posted this piece of crap up. After that last sentence, I didn't even read over it again; so expect mistakes.

If you find any, please point them out, I would be forever grateful. Now, I've got reviews to reply to; if you're anonymous or have your PM off, a thanks always goes out to you even if I can't answer your questions.

Happy Reading!

Grim


	17. Rose

_Rose_

**OR**

_The __**Painfully**__ Long Awaited Drabble_

When Astrid caught up to him a couple of hours later where he was working tiredly in the forge, Hiccup was sweating out of nervousness no matter how much he tried to convince his rolling stomach it was only the heat. She watched him from the doorway, axe loosely held in her hand, arms crossed, bringing about the stereotypical Viking teenager; lazy, but deadly.

Hiccup had just about convinced himself to work through the entire day, without any breaks, but either Gobber was oblivious, or he just wanted to torture the lad, the older Blacksmith sent him off to lunch and into the much anticipated hold of the blonde.

He let her drag him to the woods, a cheerful Toothless following along, not realizing that his rider would, probably, be dead in a few minutes. So, Hiccup sat down on one of the boulders, rested his head in his hand, and watched his girlfriend pace.

And pace and pace and pace.

Two pairs of green eyes watched her go between an aspen and blue spruce, back and forth, for a few minutes. Hiccup slowly was starting to believe that it was _not_ a good sign and toothless was settling, feeling his rider's nervousness.

When Astrid paused before the redhead, her blue eyes narrowed, axe slightly raised, the Night Fury cowered behind the small teen. "Who-was-she?"

"Well," Hiccup's gaze never left her hands. "Now, that depends; are you going to swing that axe in any direction that has me in front of it?"

The blonde scowled before she stiffly dropped the weapon. "There. Talk."

He sighed and looked out over her head, thinking. "It was… last year, during the Viking festivals, you remember—" She nodded impatiently and Hiccup laughed nervously. "Right, of course… well, um, it was the last night and I don't remember her name—"

"_WHAT?_" Astrid snarled, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him closer. "What do you mean you 'don't even remember her name'?! You son of a—"

Hiccup scowled, tearing himself away from her. "Oh, terribly sorry. I was _drunk_, she was _drunk_, and it just _happened_!" His lips turned upwards into a nasty sneer. "I wanted to feel happiness for awhile and had way too much—" He couldn't remember the girl's name, but he could certainly remember vomiting violently next to the dying pine tree beside her hut. "—huge headache afterwards… Thor, I will never drink again in my _life_—so it all just happened. I didn't mean for it to, and by the look on her face in the morning I'm sure she didn't care much for it either." He scowled. "There, okay? It was a mistake, a very big mistake, but one none-the-less."

"So, you were drunk?"

He sighed in exasperation, throwing his arms up into the air. "_YES_! I was _drunk_! What about all this do you not understand? The only reason I know that we _did_ it is because both of us _woke up naked_!"

"Who woke up naked?"

Hiccup's cheeks turned a bashful scarlet, his eyes immediately lowered to the ground as he turned away from Astrid, cursing violently at his decision to yell the last part as loud as he could.

His girlfriend sighed. "That is none of your business, Snotlout." Leaning over, her fingers wrapped around the handle of her axe. Hiccup could hear the larger boy's stumbling as he raced back through the trees. "Hiccup, Hiccup look at me."

Sighing, the redhead did as he was told and looked upon her comforting face. "It's all right—"

"I thought you were going to _kill_ me!"

Her blue eyes rolled before settling back on him. "I'm not _angry _with you, I just wondered why you didn't tell me."

Hiccup blew out slowly, leaning against Toothless who rumbled and nudged him with his large snout. "I guess I didn't want it to affect our relationship now. It was in the past, why should either of us dwell—_oomph_!" She cut him off with a short, unexpected kiss.

Leaning back, she gently placed their foreheads together. "Hiccup, don't ever change."

Smiling, he pulled out the object he had been making earlier from his pocket, sliding it into her hand. Confused, Astrid pulled back, but her eyes lit up with awe and held the perfect, iron rose before her eyes.

Hiccup took a deep breath, steeling his resolve for the corniest thing he would ever say in his life;

"When the last petal falls, my love for you will end."

Tears in her eyes, she almost brought him to the ground, her arms wrapped securely around his neck. "I love you too," the blonde whispered, delicately close to his ear even as a bright smile etched across his face.

* * *

There! Ha! LEAVE ME ALONE!

Just kidding. So… if you couldn't tell, this was like, half confession that turned into a somewhat proposal. Cha. I pulled this out of my ass in thirty-six minutes.

The Painfully Long Awaited Sequel to "Pain" or, incase you don't remember, the Truth or Dare chapter.

Review, throw ideas, and

Happy Reading!

Grim


	18. Unseeing

_Unseeing_

_He's calling for me_? Hiccup thought as he stumbled over the inflamed pain of his leg. _Why me_? Stoick raised his head, seeing his son approach with the forever loyal Toothless behind. His blue eyes were sad, but slightly brightened when they landed on his son. The rest of the village was there as well, and the teen easily picked out Astrid and the Twins. Fishlegs towered over everyone but the chief and his own father with Snotlout beside him.

They were all staring at Ragnok. The eldest in the village and quickly closing in on the rest of his years, Ragnok could be, perhaps, the most respected man in Berk. He had lost his sight in an enemy battle long ago fighting for his daughter and her freedom. Hiccup could understand that cause, while he hadn't fought for a child, he had battled, and lost his leg, for a friend.

So, silently but still making enough noise to let the elderly man know he was approaching, Hiccup pushed through the crowd. They had left a decent sized half circle empty, for which the redhead was grateful as he slowly, awkwardly, sat.

"Hello, Hiccup."

The teen didn't ask how Ragnok knew it was him but just stared out to the setting sun. It was getting closer to fall, and soon the days would become so short that the sun would barely rise at all. "You asked for me, sir?"

The man chuckled softly, "No sirs, not here." His cloudy eyes gazed out over the sea, even though he couldn't see it. "Do you know why I asked for you?"

"No, uh, Ragnok." The name sounded awkward on his tongue, as if he had no right to say it. "But I'm sure you will enlighten me."

Now, Ragnok laughed heartily, his face brightening, and suddenly looked ten years younger. Hiccup marveled at the change, his eyes wide with awe as he filed the image away for later. "Yes, of course! They always said you were intelligent, boy." For a moment though, the elder looked uncomfortable. "I was wondering if you could possibly fulfill an old man's wish."

"Well," Hiccup stuttered, honored. "I will try my best."

For a long moment, Ragnok didn't reply before he finally spoke, his tired voice freezing Hiccup, even more-so than his words. "Please, describe the colors… it's been so long since I've seen them and I'm afraid I've forgotten how they look."

Hiccup found himself frozen, mouth open, eyes wide. _How—how could I…_ and it was true, how could he ever describe the colors? They were vivid before him, as hot as the sun and cool as an ocean breeze. His green eyes closed as he thought, his mind working faster than it ever had before. _Colors… what does one think of when they hear the word?_

"I-I understand if you—"

"No," on any other day, the redhead would have never dreamed of cutting off someone older than him, but Ragnok sounded so depressed… "No, I—I'll try… Um… what—which one would you like to hear first?"

Smiling, Ragnok looked down on Hiccup. "Blue, it—it was her favorite."

So, taking a deep breath, the redhead started. "Blue… blue is like jumping into the ocean on a hot day and sailing on a boat where the salt will brush your face and the sky is warm and clear with no threat of any storms. It's a cold drink after a hard day of work and a soothing bath after a fight." Hiccup paused, frowning. "Blue can be a welcoming hug or a cold shoulder. Its tears and sadness, but joy and contentment. It's wild but contained but as different as night and day." He licked his lips, repositioning his leg. "D-does that make sense?"

"Strangely enough, it does."

Hiccup breathed out in relief, his own lips twisting up into a smile. "So, uh, purple?"

"Go ahead."

For a moment, the teen couldn't think of anything. "I—I guess purple is a new day starting. It's the remembrance of the past, but not dwelling on it. It's the taste of a bundle of grapes on a warm afternoon and the smell of newly awaken flowers. It's royalty and power, but not overwhelmingly so." Hiccup frowned. "When I think of purple, I see spring just ending, going into summer."

Sighing, he went straight on, not even waiting for the go ahead. "Red is blood and anger and fear. It's the heat of a battle field and the love of a family." Licking his lips, the teen found his eyes straying to the sails of the ships far below. "It can be filled with so much hatred and deal out agony, but then turn around and take all of that away. Red is lust and love and fire. It's warm and blistering hot and its hunger is never satisfied." Hiccup turned to see the man smiling wistfully and he couldn't help but grin himself.

"Orange is energy and softer warmth; it's the end of the day and the beginning of fall." The Aspen trees with their leaves burning like fire appeared in his mind, swaying softly to music no human could ever dream of hearing. "It is change and difference, but shows that everything is good. Orange is a sweet drink of ale when you're with some friends and laughter that always makes you feel happy after a very sad, lonely day."

Yellow—" He paused for a moment, eyes flashing up to the sun before turning away, feeling the sharp sting in his pupils as the white dots vanished and appeared repeatedly. "–Is joy. It brings brightness but can burn if one is not too careful. It is sour and sweet and adds flavor to life." Hiccup grinned, remembering the lemons that another village had traded to them years before. "Yellow can help with a cold or even make you giddy with happiness. Even though it's bright, yellow shines with compassion, but one can never stare at it too long."

There was a few minutes silence before Hiccup opened his mouth again, this time speaking softly. "Green is life. It surrounds people and lives on blue and yellow. It's the texture of leaves in your hand, the sound of them crunching under foot." He gently picked up a discarded maple leaf and placed it in Ragnok's hand, letting his weathered fingers curl around the fragile object. "Green is strong and flexible; easily changing with everything around it. But it is also envy." _There_, the teen thought, _the colors._

But apparently, he wasn't done.

"And black? White?"

Licking his lips, Hiccup's green gaze landed on the rolling Toothless, and his lips tilted upwards. "Black is mysterious. It's not cold or unwelcoming, but fear. Black is the hoot of an owl or the chirping crickets. Most times, it's the night sky and a dragon's smooth scales." The redhead motioned his friend over and let the elder's hands run over the dish-like plates. "It always swallows everything it sees, overwhelming to the point of madness."

"Yes," Ragnok whispered. "Yes it is."

Biting his tongue, Hiccup realized his mistake and opened his mouth to apologize until the elder cut him off with a careless wave.

"White is a snowball to the face; it's shocking and cold," _like words_, he thought, but knew it wasn't even that. "but not hurtful after a long period of time. Sometimes it can be as blinding as yellow or as distant as blue, but no one can stay distant from white for long; it's a part of our lives." And for the Vikings of Berk, it truly was. The blizzards that ripped through their home during winter could cause famine and death along with snowball fights that lasted for hours.

Knowing that his job was done, Hiccup rose clumsily to his feet when a wrinkled hand brushed his.

"Hiccup," Ragnok said gently, rising with him, a small smile on his thin lips. "Thank you for fulfilling my wish."

"I-uh, you're welcome, sir—Ragnok."

The Elder laughed and limped away, using his old and cracked cane to guide him. The crowd of Vikings moved out of his way, and Hiccup's heart rose as his father gave him a proud smile. Six days later, the healer found Old Ragnok the Brave in his bed having passed peacefully in the night.

There was a smile on his face.

* * *

Where did this come from? I have no idea. But it's lovely and was quite a challenge. How _does_ one describe colors? To be honest, I have no idea, so I gave it my best try here. You lot probably didn't expect this and, to be honest, I didn't either.

Happy Reading!

Grim


	19. Unity

Right, so this idea popped up into my head the other day, and I would really like to know if anyone would read a story like this. Pretty much, it takes place in modern society with an underground protection program for all things magical. Hiccup spends the school year with his mother in Philly and his summers in the Northern Rockies with his dad. The summary would probably go as follows: _It's tough, living two lives. Especially when its living on the edge of the crowded, dark streets of Philadelphia and the towering Rockies of Canada. But when a new arrival comes to the dragon reserve co-owned by his father, Hiccup will have to choose between friendship he's always wanted or his family._

* * *

_Principles and Elements_

**Unity**

After the quiet divorce between his parents and he and his mother moved to Philadelphia, Hiccup looked for inspiration. During the grueling battle, he had sat with narrowed eyes and watched as his parents fought over him, pencil tapping the blank page of his sketchbook. It was when they had arrived on the East Coast when he finally grabbed a hold of inspiration and held onto it with white fingers.

There was a museum of art that littered the street. It covered walls and fences, playgrounds and sidewalks. Colors or just black and white. Hiccup remembered sitting in the car, nose pressed to the window, watching as the images passed him by—names, faces, animals… and he wanted to make his own mark on this city.

Now, holding a bandana over his mouth, Hiccup shook the can of Neon green paint, hearing it click noisily back and forth before he raised it up and listened to the soft hiss as the spray coated the bricks. He couldn't help but grin slightly, ears listening for any sign of the police. After two years, he had earned a name for himself; Dragon. Each one of his pieces had held the creature in some way and now he was placing his name next to the others.

Respect and art. That's what it was all about. Stepping back, Hiccup admired his work before placing his used cans into the black duffle bag at his side. They clanked together before settling, and he turned on his heel, walking out of the alley, ripping his bandana from his face, and walked the three blocks home.

Sighing, the teen made his way past a group of Latinos, nodding respectfully as they saw the bag hooked around his shoulder. "Aye, lookie! You do anything new, Dragon boy?" The tallest one said, seeing the Florida Gator on the side.

Hiccup pointed over his shoulder and continued to walk, climbing easily up the fire escape to the worn and burnt-along-the-edges apartment building. It had been covered a long time ago with paint of all different colors, but the redhead could've cared less; why should he complain about someone else's canvas? They found it, they have the rights to use it. Simple as that.

His room was dark—almost despairingly—but he changed out of his baggy hoodie and stained jeans, throwing them into the closet and hiding the bag under his bed. Easing himself down, Hiccup pulled the covers over his half naked form, eased the beanie off his head, and threw it onto the desk.

Tonight would be his last night in Philly when the summer started and his mother shipped him up North where his father ran a Dragon preserve. He made his mark on the last day of the school year, and tomorrow would branch him off in a whole different direction.

Finally, after a few minutes, he settled into a deep slumber, thoughts succumbed by images of giant flying reptiles and crackling fire.

"Hiccup? _Hiccup_!" Grumbling, the teen let his eyes slide open, his green gaze settling on the open blinds and darkness outside. "Oh for crying out loud—_Get up!_" Vaguely, he recognized his mother's voice.

Groaning, Hiccup forced himself upward. "Yeah, yeah… getting there…"

"Good. Your bags are already in the car—"_ Except for one_, he added on silently, thinking about the one under his bed. "And you better eat breakfast before you get there, so we're stopping by Yolonda's place."

He perked up at that. Yolanda was the lady downstairs who owned a Mexican restaurant that, Hiccup swore, was the best food he'd ever had in his life. Sliding on a fresh t-shirt (green, like always) and a newer set of jeans, he pulled out his gator duffle from under the bed and made his way out to the kitchen where his mother, Valhallamara, was waiting albeit impatiently. He flashed her a crooked grin before turning out the door, shoes already on his feet. Rolling her eyes, but smiling, the woman followed him, locking the door behind them.

"She said… there," Hiccup followed her finger to where a paper bag was sitting by their neighbor's door. Grinning, he picked it up and slid it into his jacket pocket. They were still slightly warm from when Yolanda had made them earlier. Silently, they piled into the cold car, the teen feeling the chill from the leather seats seeping up into his body. "You ready?"

Smiling, Hiccup turned to his mother and nodded, watching out of the corner of his eye as the sidewalk slowly began to pick up speed until it had turned into a blur of golden orange from the light of the streetlamps.

It was goodbye to the city of street art… for the moment.

* * *

So, tell me what you think (this is only about one third of the actual chapter) and if you would actually read it. If not, well, it'll stay as a drabble. If people like it, I might post up more.

Happy Reading!

Grim


	20. Perfect two

_Perfect Two_

No one ever knew how it all fit together, but for some reason, they just did. Hiccup and Astrid. Astrid and Hiccup. A flower and a noise. It just felt right in all its oxymoron sense. Not even the two who were victims to the clash knew what had happened. The only one that seemed to have some knowledge about what exactly was going on was Toothless, but he was tight lipped. However, everyone saw the glinting in his eyes when he watched the two together.

It started with a blush. Innocent, carefree. Hiccup was six. As a child he could be considered the brightest out of them all and someplace deep in his thought, he knew what the scarlet spreading across his cheeks meant. Over the years, he had quelled the feeling, pushing the sensation to the back of his mind. But every time she looked his way… it reared its beautifully stunning head and grasped his heart until it felt like he was going to die.

Astrid hadn't noticed it until a steady flight over the ocean, running her fingers through clouds and watching the night sky light up with colors. Her hands had wrapped around his waist, and she knew it would never be the same. She could remember the heat from his body on that night still to this very day, the goofy grin on his face when she rested her head on his shoulder.

Now, don't get her wrong, he still smiled goofily when ever their lips brushed gently or when his hands closed around her slim waist. His eyes lit up childishly when her hair was down and his gentle fingers enjoyed taking the braids out as much as they loved putting them in.

A perfect match.

He would never kill a soul; some would say he was weak, Astrid thinks he's the bravest man she ever knew. He would never touch her without asking; most Vikings would scoff, wondering why the Chief would ask permission from his wife, those who know them wonder why he asks if he knows the answer will always be "yes".

Hiccup is shy and small, his arms strong from working at the forge. Some might say he's too small, but Astrid finds he fits her perfectly.

His words were quiet but powerful, never saying a harsh or contradicting thing about anyone because he knew how it felt. While some were harsh, the red haired man would fly a peace flag with a small smile on his face and no one dared to question his decision. Not because of the Night Fury standing behind him (Though Toothless might have something to do with it) but because of his famous negotiation of cease-fire between dragons and Vikings.

But right at this moment, in the valley where Hiccup had met his first friend, nothing else mattered. One hand was on her hip, the other curled perfectly into her fingers. Her free palm was resting on his shoulder and their feet moved to a rhythm only their ears could hear.

_Cause you're the apple to my pie  
You're the straw to my berry  
You're the smoke to my high  
And you're the one I wanna marry._

_'Cause you're the one for me  
__and I'm the one for you  
You take the both of us  
And we're the perfect two._

* * *

Wowsers. That was… I don't know. Does it make sense? I hope it does. For anyone that wants to know, the lyrics are from "Perfect Two" by Auburn. Beautiful song, I suggest you play it while you read.

This was a request from MusicPeaceAndCheese (I hope I got your name right) using the song to write a story.

Happy Reading!

Grim


	21. Kings and Queens

For those who are reading _Principles and Elements_; the newest chapter was just sent off to my Beta (MissHanyou) and should be posted as soon as she's done. This was typed up while I was waiting and after a few conversations with some of my faithful reviewers (You guys know who you are and thanks so much for your continued support! You people rock my socks!). I'll get to all your reviews as soon as I can.

_**A few things to know before you get started…**_

**Frigg:** Goddess of Fertility, Birth, and Motherhood

**Thor**: God of Thunder, War, and Weapons

**Hel**: Goddess and Ruler of Nifleheim (World of Mists/the underworld for those who died of Sickness)

**Loki:** the trickster who, after convincing one of Odin's sons to kill his brother Baldr, was chained up against a rock where a snake would drip venom on his body until Ragnarök.

**Vör:** Goddess of Wisdom

**Nótt:** Goddess of the Night and Stars

**Freyer:** God of Fertility and Sex

**Ragnarök**: The Apocalypse (basic definition; want to know more? Check out your local Library)

**Asgard**: The realm of the Gods in the branches of the Life Tree (Heaven)

This was based off a song sung by 30 Seconds to Mars. It can be found on YouTube (can't everything?) if you're curious.

* * *

_**Kings and Queens**_

_We were the Kings and Queens of Promise_

_We were the victims of ourselves_

_Maybe the children of a lesser god_

_Between Heaven and Hell_

They were living legends, born under the watchful eye of Odin and forged by Regin. Loki sculpted two with his bound hands, Frigg breathed life into the biggest, Freyer chose the child who was most like he, Thor guided another with his hammer, and the last… the last was on the brink of darkness when gentle Vör and Nótt brought him back with coaxing fingers and soft words. As the mortals grew, the gods and goddesses slowly left them, one by one, until the last two were left, looking over their small and beaten charge.

When he prayed that night, before he went to bed, they granted him his wish. When Thor and Hel let loose their beast, Vör made the ropes fly straight and true, wrapping around the beast. Nótt covered the accomplishment by the night. The Norns had their plans, but they could twist fate just a bit. Once again, their charge was ridiculed and scorned before he blundered off into the forest and came upon his catch.

The Goddesses held no fear has he lifted the dagger; they could see into his heart. So when Frigg gasped as the boy let the beast go, the two of them smiled with pride. Their stomachs clenched at the sight of the creature towering over him, but the boy's fate was eternal… already written and woven into the tapestry of time.

They watched him soar closer than any of the Mortals had ever gotten to Asgard, watched as he dived and fell and got back up again—scraped knees and all. They watched as the criticism turned to awe, then distrust, and finally hatred. Thor was furious that the… the _mortal_, the _boy_ was able to dig himself deep into _his_ creation's heart and make the beast croon and purr with a simple smile or a touch from his hands.

Vör knew why the creature had softened; it had been a weapon, made only for war. It knew no love, peace, or kindness. It just _was_. And while legends whispered it would live until the Ragnarök… the Goddess had her own doubts. She was wise and knew her own fate, but wondered if it was all folly. To the beast and the boy, Ragnarök would be when one of them fell and didn't rise up again; when the crashing of the waves wore them down until tiny pebbles remained and were swept back with the tide.

The mortal would live as long as his dragon and the dragon would live as long as his human. It was as simple as that.

Now if only she could beat that into Thor's ego…

* * *

Hiccup had never thought of himself as special, never believed that he was anything more than useless. Even the times with Toothless were darkened by misery and loneliness (though it was dampened considerably). He had his moments, sometimes, where he would snap angrily at the people following him, watching his every move, wondering how he could fall a Gronckle by just raising his hand or make a Nadder fall by a gentle press of his fingers.

They wanted to learn from him, but didn't want to hear the things he knew and would preach. So he didn't say anything, just shrugging and whispering that the Gods looked down on him (when it was probably the opposite). The only thing Hiccup had ever done _right_ (or wrong) was setting the Night Fury free. He had learned so much, and the teen loved to learn. It was his favorite pastimes.

And here was Toothless; an abundance of knowledge just waiting to be unraveled. The way he stretched like a cat, his retractable teeth, the way the black ears expressed his emotions… Hiccup enjoyed just watching his friend—as the dragon had never been a _pet_—as he rumbled about in the valley, jumping at specks of light, rolling over in towering stems of Kitty Grass.

There were tiny moments in time, where Toothless would nudge him gently after a tiring day, or when the dragon bounded and leaped in his own dance, that the teen would forget about Odin and the Gods, stop worrying about Astrid and the others, and just go about being a kid.

A kid with a dragon. Who would've thought?

* * *

I apologize for any and all mistakes; I wrote this on my phone at work. It was just… there, so I typed it up. And don't worry; this won't get me fired. My boss doesn't care as long as I get everything done (and it is…mostly.). Besides, I was in a class... no one cares as long as you answer and teach them something. Pfft.

Happy Reading!

Grim


	22. Wings

_Wings_

Growing up on a remote island named Berk just below the Arctic circle, long before he had ever shot his best friend out of the sky, Hiccup was just a normal boy trying to lead a normal life. Or as normal a life as someone could possibly hope to lead, anyway, as a Viking could in a small, secluded village that rarely received visitors, and the ones who did come, weren't generally welcomed.

Even then, before all the training and before all the friendship and defiantly before the dragon, the heroism, and the title Dragon Master, he already knew he was different.

He saw things differently.

He understood things differently.

From grand concepts like the university of all religions, to the simple inner workings of a lock mechanism, Hiccup figured it all out. He saw the connection. He saw the big picture and the little one, too. It was easy.

It was his gift.

And it infuriated his teachers as often as it thrilled the few who would actually stop to listen. It is that gift that he still uses to find knowledge hidden from prying eyes and, with a little help from Toothless, to understand it.

There are doors that have long been closed, eyes kept shut, and voices silenced. Now the hour comes along and a rough beast shakes itself from deep slumbers. Soon the whole of the world will see… but it will not understand. There comes a point in all of our lives, one moment in which everything changes. When the firm ground we stand on vanishes from beneath our feet. At that moment we must either fall…

Or have the faith that we will learn to **_fly_**.

* * *

Uh... no comment? Hmmm... Turned from a prologue type thing to a preach about "when you fall, get your ass back up and try again"--Aye, that's a quote my English teacher told me a few years ago...

Cha.

Review! Please! I love reading what you guys think (it makes me fuzzy inside)!

Happy Reading!

Grim


	23. Treason

_Treason_

"Hiccup!" Astrid Cried, looking around frantically before choosing the hammer sitting on the ground. A swift motion of her foot and the handle landed in her hand. A swift spin, and the weapon smacked the dragon in the snout, bringing furious, gleaming eyes to her small form. The Nightmare gave her no warning as it switched targets, coming easily after her and forcing the young woman to scramble frantically out of its way, slipping on the smooth stone.

The gate blocking their escape was easily wrenched open. "This way!" Stoick yelled out, his hands motioning frantically even as Astrid and Hiccup already moved to sprint towards him. Always being more athletic, the girl got to the opening first, caught by the chief when she stumbled.

Flames sprung up before Hiccup, sending the boy careening backwards, racing away from the Nightmare as it latched onto the wall. It launched towards the boy, knocking him over. Hiccup rolled just in time to avoid being skewered by the curved talons creating an inescapable cage around his body.

Something else, however, awoke over the cries and furious grumbling of the dragon; the unmistakable sound of something splitting the air in half. Toothless, in one single bound, soared over the heads of the audience and blasted a hole through the iron. The arena filled with dark smoke as the blackness swirled off the yellow colored metal. Hiccup pushed against the Nightmare's claws as it was momentarily distracted by the mass of ebony scales ripping and tearing at the red and orange armor.

"Somebody get in there and help him!" Roared over the crowd as forms began to make shape once more, flapping wings clearing the smoke. A roar of agony tore through the air and Hiccup was let loose, the Nightmare focusing on the furious dragon on its back.

The Night Fury gave the bigger dragon no mercy; talons that could cut through rock gouged deep into the muscle of the Nightmare even as they rolled into full view of everyone.

Gobbler proclaimed Toothless' species allowed, awed at his first glimpse of the legendary creature, but the dragon could've cared less when the Nightmare used its flexibility to its advantage and turned the tables, getting the black dragon onto its back. But still, Toothless clawed, throwing the creature off with a mighty shove and rolling back onto his awkward but powerful legs.

A stalemate was reached with the larger beast not daring to evoke the rage filled Night Fury as it defended Hiccup—who was on the floor both in shock and rubbing his heavily bruised arm from where the larger dragon had ran him over before as he had tried to grab a shield. They both roared and screeched before the Nightmare backed down, scrambling away to get as far from Toothless as it could, dark blood splattering on the arena floor.

Seeing the minor danger pass, Hiccup scrambled to his feet, rushing underneath the raised wing of his dragon and clutching frantically at his friend's head. "All right, Toothless; go! Get out of here!" He tried to push the dragon away, but the green eyes were narrowed and watching the swarm of Vikings (big and small) rushing past the iron bars blocking the captured dragons' escapes. "Go! _Go!_"

Then Hiccup saw his father grab an axe off the wall. His leaf-like eyes widened in horror before he made a quick and rash decision; he mounted the dragon. "_GO!_" He ordered, and Toothless was too eager to oblige. With a powerful thrust, they were air born, and a swift ball of blue fire made short work of the chains above. The two of them soared through the roof before shooting off over the island, heading towards the valley where they had first formed their friendship.

Hiccup was shaking, his eyes wide, hands slick with sweat. He steered Toothless by instinct and when they landed, quickly dismounted and fell to his knees. "What have I done?" The teen whispered, only his hands holding him above the ground. "Odin, what have I _done_?"

Nudging the boy softly with his nose, the dragon looked the boy over, his lips curling up into a snarl at the sight of an ugly navy slowly appearing on his arm. Whining, Toothless curled around the frantic boy—too far deep in shock—and purred softly, easing the teen back into awareness.

For a long moment, they sat there, both taking comfort in the other before Hiccup raised a small hand and rested it on the black scales. "I can't go back," he said matter-of-factly. "T-they won't…" he trailed off and sniffed, rubbing at his eyes with his sleeve. "We got to… got to think this through," his voice became softer, thoughtful, "because _that_ idea certainly didn't go as planned."

Toothless huffed in agreement and pulled the boy closer, snuggling against the small body, offering his own warmth. Hiccup closed his eyes, but him thoughts were focused on one thing alone; the unadulterated rage etched across his father's face. The redhead quickly stood, looking over his friend. "Toothless, we have to get out of here, before… before they—" The dragon snorted and turned, giving the boy easy access to his back before, once again, shooting up into the air.

* * *

Yeah, Yeah; I know. I haven't given you lot anything to chew on for the past few days while working on Principles and Elements. Now I toss this out for your salivating mouths and wait for the hate-mail. Anyway, if you guys like this one it will be turned into another full length story, the final chapter of P&E has just been shipped off to meh fabulous beta. This was not. All mistakes are my fault.

As always; Review and Happy Reading!

Grim


	24. World

_World_

When Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was born, the full moon turned black.

Darkness covered the orb and the stars gleamed mockingly as the Vikings panicked. The wind howled like the grey wolves, invisible fingers gripping at the trees, almost tearing them out of the ground. The roofing on houses was almost ripped off, sending a few families into the shelter of the mess hall.

They were not astrologists, only warriors, so the lunar eclipse sent them into chaos. Believed that Loki would touch upon the child and mother going into labor, Stoick fell to prayer. They all knew that the child was already a few weeks early, and was expected to be small, possibly dead.

But the act was not caused by Loki, no, the Goddess Nótt touched the night with her gentle caress as her fellows did their own work. Most of the Gods felt that the boy would be useless. "Let him die," one had said, but Baldr would not have it. The God of peace and rebirth breathed life into the baby, as Vör and Kvasir placed upon him their own blessings. Figg herself molded the boy from soft clay that had been easy to shape.

Stoick's prayer had been answered by the most unlikely of fellows while, further away, four other gods created a beast to aide either side at Ragnarök. Hel, who was forced by Odin, filled the monster with a breath of death and scales that could withstand even the sharpest sword, Thor granted it speed with agility, giving it beautiful and powerful wings. Reés breathed fire into its soul and, when they had left to come back another day, Hlín whispered it the secrets of consolation and protection and sang it soothing songs at it slept, quelling nightmares only a Dragon of Death could have.

When the creature was finally born on Midgard, Hiccup came into the world, and the Night touched them both with gentle, soothing hands. To both, it made them different. To one, he would never fit in, ridiculed and harassed to the point of exhaustion. The other would be the unholy offspring; to destroy and bring fear to all that it challenged.

The gods had touched them both for their own purposes, but not even the Fates could see their future come out as it had…

Even when they were young, the two had near brushes against each other. Valhallamara whispered stories to her son about creatures that would crawl out from underneath his bed to eat him, of trolls and merfolk. But when she died, killed when she was protecting her dear sister's family, Stoick decided it was time for his son to stop living in fantasy lands and join the rest of the Vikings. Only the boy couldn't.

It's not like he didn't try—oh, did he try!—but something inside of him just wouldn't allow it. Talk around the fire of spilling guts and blood, washing the enemy's life off their hands… it made the boy sick and leave to take shelter in the trees, hiding away from the horror and taunts.

He first saw Toothless, the Night Fury, on one of those nights. It would be ten years later that he realized what the small, salamander like dragon was, but back then he didn't care. The warm fire was enough to make him scramble and curl up to the slumbering beast, and the two of them slept into the night.

Hiccup woke up believing it was all a dream. The creature was no longer there, and he found himself slowly making his way back to the village. It would take years for his memory to pull it back up, but the frightened green eyes staring at him helplessly… it was enough to make the memories crash down on his mind, and the teen found that he couldn't murder the dragon that had (or hadn't) given him companionship so long ago.

Now, with one leg missing, but so many more pros than cons, Hiccup stood to face the world…

But he would never know how big it was.

* * *

This was written, like, a few days ago (first part was used for Utgard) but I decided to put the whole thing up for you lot, because you're amazing. It was going to be a totally different story then from what you guys received, but… yeah…

Review and Happy Reading!

Grim


	25. Home

_**Home**_

_It had always been a game. A dangerous, fun, and incredibly foolish one, but a game none-the-less. Was that regret? No… No I don't think so. It certainly hurt when the odd rocks and rope wrapped around my form, not to mention the very __**ungraceful**__ landing…_

_Oh, mother, if you could see me now. Would you be ashamed? Would you be fearful? The same boy who tore away the freedom of the skies gave them back just as heartily. He is… different. Odd, like me. The wolf in a flock of sheep. Or more like a sheep in a pack of wolves. A few weeks and he had been turned into that wolf for a few brief beautiful minutes._

_Then he lost it all again and went back to the starving, beaten predator. The things I can show him! Size is not everything. I have beaten dragons four times my length and height. He is quick, agile, stealthy._

_Like me._

_It had taken me so long, __**so**__ long, to reach my own potential, but ever guttural sound, every touch, every __**reaction**__ pushes him further and further from his greatness. I was with him when he first tasted that freedom. I __**showed**__ him the way!_

_Now they are beating him back with whips and sticks of silver, but I saw him taste that blood, he smelled it and he __**liked**__ it. But now he lets them control him, wrap chains around his wings and showing him the sky, mocking him, telling him that his dreams will never become a reality. I remember those days when I had felt the same… seeing what I had just out of reach._

_Patience, man-child. I will guide you, and I will take you to where your dreams will come to life. There you will be great, will be respected. Places that I have seen, where they cried out my many titles in fear, in horror. They will repeat yours in similar ways._

_I can promise that._

* * *

Toxic eyes watched over the withering form on the bed, scaled lips pulled back into a harsh snarl. Tired murmurs awoke in the silence, spilling form lips that had once said sweet, kind words that had comforted a dragon. Fingers loosened and tightened again and again, trying to find something to hold onto as the Viking was whipped through a dream.

There was nothing the Night Fury could do to quench his fears until those leaf-like eyes snapped open and Hiccup was dragged from his nightmares back to reality. So the Dragon waited, impatiently, occasionally nudging with his large nose, easing the boy away from the edge. Huffing in annoyance, ears curling back, tail swishing over the wooden floor in irritation, Toothless stood. His black form was invisible in the darkness; only his semi-glowing eyes piercing through the night.

The dragon readjusted himself, making the floorboards creak. Hiccup muttered again, curling up further under the half-thrown off the bed blankets. Snorting, Toothless leaned over him and nudged gently once more, a small, fragile hand moving up to touch his face. A low purr escaped his chest, blowing hot hair onto the boy's face, ruffling his auburn locks.

Hiccup groaned, but didn't curl up tighter. His eyelids flickered before springing open, landing on glittering, short white teeth. "Hmm, Toothless?"

The dragon let his head fall on the boy's stomach, tail twitching as the hand moved to scratch in just the right places. He could feel the trembling of the small, fleshy body beneath him, and settled with turning and licking the young Viking's face.

"Oh, _gross_!" Wiping away the saliva with his shirt, Hiccup glared half-heartedly at the Night Fury before a grin stretched his lips. Toothless lifted his head when the boy moved, getting to the edge of the bed and slowly putting—hissing in pain every so often—his metal leg into place.

When the boy finally stood up (wobbling and stumbling about) and made his way to the front door blindly through the dark, was Toothless able to lift him onto his back with a grunt. A late night routine for them; Hiccup woke from his nightmares, and the dragon would take him flying. The black tail easily closed the door before they were soaring past the beacons of fire that outlined the village and then over the icy blackness of the ocean.

For a moment, Hiccup wondered if this was what Valhalla felt like; a rush of freedom and joy. Or even if the Valkyries didn't arrive to gather fallen warriors on horses, but dragons. Did they enjoy the rushing of the air brushing their face? Of the clouds painting small water droplets across their skin? Sighing and letting his eyes droop partially, the boy rested against Toothless' smooth body even as the dragon twisted in the air, easily moving around towers of stone human eyes couldn't see.

For a moment, one of the dark shadows reared an ugly head that spouted fire and heat straight out of a nightmare, out of _his_ nightmare. Hiccup shook his head, trying to make the image vanish back into the depths of his mind, but the Green Death still haunted him, even though its body lay rotting at the Nest.

The battle that had stolen his leg now replayed itself in his mind, tormenting him night after night. Scars, though healing, reopened but one thing always stayed consistent; Toothless. Running a hand over his friend's head, Hiccup sighed. The dragon had been the first thing he had seen when he had finally woken up, had stayed by his side, and was the only one to comfort him after the nightmares.

Especially after the first night when he had woken up screaming his throat raw. The boy couldn't even talk the following day, so he stayed upon his dragon. But now… now that everyone had a dragon, they got no peace. The sky was no longer just theirs to claim, and Hiccup wondered if it was selfish to think that; to believe that flying was the one _gift_ that the Gods had given him, then split it and handed it out to everyone else.

He was glad that the two species had stopped fighting, but now Toothless couldn't dive through the rock formations without an eager Nadder trying to follow, soar above the clouds there were swarms of Nightmares, and swooping over the trees; Zipplebacks. For once, he wished that the village had let the dragons go on their way instead of keeping them as _pets_.

A soft rumble shook Toothless' frame, dragging the boy out of his thoughts. Thankful, he patted his friend's head and turned to look back over his shoulder, realizing that the fires marking the village were now fading like the stars, getting further and further away. "Toothless?" He murmured softly and the dragon, with a slight huff, answered the unasked question and turned back around, toxic eyes narrowed. It wouldn't be today, it wouldn't be tomorrow, but they would leave the pain and nightmares behind if the dragon had anything to say about it.

At their front, the sky began to turn a steady lighter blue before it was tinged with pink and orange. When they finally reached Berk, a large shadow had fallen across the village and the early risers were rubbing the sleep from their eyes as they went about their daily chores. Toothless landed outside the Chief's home, following behind the limping boy as he made his way inside.

A spurt of blue-purple set the fireplace aglow even as Hiccup settled with making himself and his father breakfast before dragging a sack full of fish to the eager Toothless. Sitting down heavily in one of the rickety chairs, the boy looked out of the corner of his eye at the eating dragon, smiling when the long tail curled, the red tailfin a contrast to his dark body.

Yes… perhaps the nightmares will go away someday, and his world will be filled with dreams again…

* * *

_They stare at __**us**__, watch __**us**__ with their bulging eyes and ugly, pink faces. For a while, I hated them, I still hate them, but for other reasons now. The only thing they were good for was entertainment. They played along with my game; they built weapons, I knocked them down. Simple, easy, and their fat cheeks glowing red from anger and the heat of my fire made it worth it._

_Now, now I know that they never singled me out except that I'm perhaps more dangerous than what they normally see, no. But they singled out one of their own kind. When he had raised the pathetic knife over me, I saw the bruises hidden beneath the shirt, the scratched knees from being pushed down too many times._

_Oh, yes, I saw it, and I hated it._

_How __**dare**__ they?! He is __**mine**__, and should anyone ever think to cause harm to him again, I'll tear them into little, gory bits. I can protect him from their weak bodies, smash their shields, break their weapons. But I know I can't stop one thing; their vile tongues._

_Dripping with caramel coated hooks, they wait and he bites. Again and again and __**again**__. He trusts too easily, performing to their beck and call. It's disgusting, but I can't help and feel sorry for him. He who smells of the sea and wind, who laughed like the hyena and howled like the wolf. _

_The boy who is as kind and trusting as a lonely, starving dog. They do not deserve his friendship, __**I**__—who no other human has touched—feel as though __**I**__ do not deserve his love. But he gives it anyway, in plentiful amounts._

_It will be his undoing._

_And it's time that he knew that. I will make him strong and hard, ready for the world to rest upon his shoulders as the Gods wished. But first… first he must leave this brittle place behind._

_I can show you a world, man-child, that you have never seen before…_

* * *

It was a slow day, Hiccup deciding to stay inside and just wave his worried father on. His attention was elsewhere, focusing instead on his thoughts that seemed to be weaving a never ending web. He wanted silence, freedom, and the old forlorn sky welcoming him back with mothering arms. Toothless stayed by him, curious and rumbling, every once in awhile, looking out the window as if the clouds held the answer to life.

Perhaps they did.

But when the boy turned his attention to the outside, there wasn't a cloud in sight and, for the first time, Hiccup wondered where Toothless had been all those years before he suddenly attacked the guard tower for the first time. Maybe—in all the strangeness that had followed him—the dragon was feeling homesick.

Hiccup gave him extra fish that day, hoping it would distract the creature long enough as he tried to figure everything out. He, after all, couldn't just _leave_ Berk…

Could he?

Sure, his uncle had done it; actually had settled someplace else and made quite a good village with a few others. And it wasn't like he would be gone _forever_, right? Just until Toothless was able to see his home again.

Should he ask?

Hiccup sighed and rested his head in his hands until something wet and cold touched his cheek. Jumping, he stared in shock at the offered fish hanging from the grinning Night Fury's mouth. Smiling, the boy took it, pulled his chair closer to the fire, and began to cook, Toothless curling beside him, falling into a deep slumber.

The dragon had always been there for him, who's to say that he couldn't do this one thing for his first friend? Leaf-like eyes rested on the sleeping beast. He looked peaceful; snoring in that soft, echoing laugh that made so many cry out in fear. Only now did Hiccup know it was a sign of amusement.

But what about Astrid?

Hiccup frowned in thought. She seemed fine, helping the others and learning about her own dragon. Would she even want to come? Shaking his head, the boy sighed and propped the stick holding his fish with his foot. It was Toothless' home. And the dragon wouldn't steal him away until the end of time, would he?

No, no of course not. This was _Toothless_ and if he wanted to go home for a bit, Hiccup was sure the dragon would understand his need to return to Berk after a while. Worrying his lip, the boy turned the fish, sighing. That's it, then. He would talk to his father, ask if he and Toothless could take a trip together. With the dragon by his side, he would be safe, and after felling the Green Death, how could anyone doubt their skills?

He was handicapped, not defenseless.

Nodding in resignation, Hiccup settled on tomorrow, during their early morning flight, he would urge the dragon to keep going until they reached land. Flying by themselves for the first time in a couple of months. It would be nice, to be alone again with just the skies and daring birds for company.

Yes. It would be tomorrow.

For the first time in a while—when his feet were firmly planted on the ground—Hiccup found himself grinning like a madman.

* * *

_I am terrifying, I am deadly, I am… completely and utterly smitten. It's not __**fair**__ that he holds all this over me, that he can lord around my body—even though he doesn't. Even though he would never, __**ever**__ do that… Do the others feel this way about their humans? Is this what a dog feels when he finds his master safe and home after a long days work?_

_Why do I strive to make him __**happy**__? We both are missing physical characteristics, he loves more than I ever have… so why do I feel heart broken when he sits on the stairs and gazes sorrowfully over the water? I always whine and snuggle close, pulling him under my wing with a soft purr, my breath ruffling his hair until he is smiling that crooked grin again._

_Sometimes… I lose myself around him, acting like a playful puppy. It is foolish, it is idiotic, it-it is __**fun**__. The most fun I have had since… since… __**never**__. How can I deny the flips and turns I only used for enemies, now performed just to hear him holler in glee? _

_The first time I had ever let out a burst of flame just for the sheer joy of living… it was with him straddling my back. A year of firsts, this all was. Never would I have thought that She would go down under my paw, beneath his hand. Should some say that those pure blood idiots would welcome dragons into their village, that I would befriend a man-child, I would have torn them to shreds just for their foolish words._

_But here I am and life has been passing so quickly now… wonders are vanishing. I can feel his irritation when our precious flying is interrupted by another. And I understand it, because I feel it too. What use to be __**ours**__ is now __**theirs**__. I-I hate that. I really do. Our time together has been pushed to the early morning when Sól hasn't even appeared over the horizon._

_It's not relaxing, it's a way to get a flight in before the sky is herded and crowded. My human knows this, and he accepts it with grace._

_I, however, am not as kind._

_It is time to go, and no matter what he says, I will not turn around._

_Home is waiting._

* * *

Two of these in an hour? WHAT AM I DOING? Plot bunny, sorry guys. It popped up in my brain, I had to write it, and now I give it to you. What's going on with this piece? No idea. Hope you like it though! This was the fastest I've ever written. It took me about thirty minutes BUT WAS NOT EDITED! Let me know if you see any mistakes.

Happy Reading and Reviewing!

Grim


	26. Perfection

_Perfection_

He was staring at her again, green eyes all bright and curious. There was hardly a moment when they weren't curious, but Astrid dealt with that by ignoring it. However, at the moment with the rain pounding unnecessarily hard against the rooftop blocking all chances to escape back to her own home, the blonde found herself growing irritated.

"What?" She snapped and watched his eyes simply blink, but Hiccup didn't shy away like he would've normally. Instead, the smaller teen shrugged and continued, ignoring her fidgeting. It took a few more minutes until Astrid snapped. "Stop staring at me!"

"Why?"

The question was so innocent and so undeniably Hiccup that she paused before scowling. "It's uncomfortable."

"A lot of things in life are uncomfortable," his head tilted curiously to the side. "I was just thinking," _obviously_ and they both heard the unsaid word.

Astrid tensed, turning away from him but still feeling his gaze upon her. "I don't get why you're so interested."

"I don't get why you're so bothered," Hiccup said honestly and perked up at the sound of the rain finally slowing down. "It doesn't seem to bother you when others stare—why would I be different?"

"Because—" _You're different; no one looks at me like they really want to know me, no one wonders what lies beneath my false attitude and hard work_, "—It's just uncomfortable coming from _you_," She hadn't meant for it to be as cruel as it sounded, but Hiccup just shrugged and gathered his book and stick.

He paused though, next to her and looked into her eyes. "You know," Hiccup said simply, and there was no emotion to his voice—just a light suggestion. "You don't have to _try_ to be perfect."

It was a few hours later, when she thought about his words, that a crimson blush spread across her cheeks.

* * *

Yes, yes, I know; I leave you guys for Finals, don't visit, and then I get shipped off to Las Vegas for a vacation. It bothered the hell out of me guys—there was no computer (or rather—_internet_) for an entire week and I have spent it both writing, reading, and getting an absolutely horrible sunburn across my back.

This is a welcome return though—just remember that if you kill me now, there are no updates later!

Happy Reading (and writing and all the other stuff you lovely people do)

Grim


	27. Rainbows

_Rainbows_

_(From Two to One)_

It still hurt sometimes. Like a phantom pain that haunted his mind. Sometimes he forgot about it until he glanced downward and it all came back.

Hiccup sighed, curling further into himself, green eyes gazing, but not seeing. The sharp and bright colors of the sunset burned before him. Orange, purple and pink swirled together around the golden circle of the sun, dampened by it's closeness to the horizon, mixing everything together like perfect watercolor paints.

(Vaguely he wondered if that was how the Gods waited for Ragnarok: see who could create the most gorgeous—or depressing—sunset)

His feet—or foot—were sprawled out awkwardly to his sides. In one, he could feel tiny pins in the ankle, in the other… there was nothing. Beside him, Toothless was curled up. His black body firm and warm—scales shining like charcoaled wood burning. His great eyes were closed, ears pressed tightly against the salamander-like head.

Hiccup knew he wasn't sleeping.

He ignored that fact though, and let his friend keep a silent watch.

Without invitation, green eyes flickered down to the missing foot. He knew that the flesh that had been burnt and torn and splintered didn't hurt anymore. All that had been healed.

Well, as much as could be expected.

But he still couldn't help but _feel_ that pain of those first few days—of his limps and cries and _oh, Thor, make it stop I'll do anything—_

It was dull now. A spirit. A ghost.

The pain was gone, like the sun just vanishing over the horizon. But like Sol, it would never be truly gone—not as long as he remembered it.

Not as long as he went from two to one.

* * *

How angry are all of you? Heh… Yeah. I'm sorry.

This oneshot is in dedication of _MissHanyou_ and _Rebel-Angel-Hero_. To the first, it's an apology, to the second… It's a promise.

Life's been bad, guys. That car accident f-ed me up.

Hopefully I'm back, maybe not as good as new, but the best I might be at the moment.

This story is in memory of Oracle, who proved to everyone that even though you're handicapped, there's no way the world can keep you caged.

Happy Reading,

Grim


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